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Browse published articles attributed to Andrew Horton, with full-archive search.
We all have the objective of achieving our full potential, living a meaningful and fulfilling life, filled with joy and happiness. As children we are filled with dreams about our future and we are committed to a notion of excellence and possibility.
Research has shown that there is a constant stream of self-talk going on in our minds all day. This constant of barrage of input into our minds, only seems to stop during certain parts of our sleeping cycle. This constant stream of talk is so habitual and part of who we are, that we seldom even know we are doing it. There is a constant stream of comments, judgements and reactions to everything going on around us. These conversations are either supporting you and the success you are attempting to invite into your life or they are destroying your potential.
We all have habits, both good ones, which support our efforts to attract success into our lives and bad ones, which keep us from taking the daily actions we need to take, to succeed. If you have any doubt about the power of your habits and how they can keep you locked in a cycle of mediocrity, try this simple test. Cross your arms in front of you. Now look down and see which one of your arms is on the top. Research has shown that about half the population will normally have their right arm on top and the other half will have their left arm on top.
In this evolving and ever changing world we live in, it is becoming increasingly important to be recognised as the go to person or expert in your field. If I had to ask you who the best Body builder in the world was, you would immediately say A old Schwarzenegger. He is seen as the expert, despite the fact that he has not competed in any body building competitions since 1983. He is still perceived as the best body builder or expert in the field of body building. Not many people know that although he won the Mr Olympia title six times, there are two people who have won the MR.
Before you can begin using social media or any other form media for that matter, as a means for marketing your business, you must be absolutely clear about what you are selling and why people will want what you have to sell them. If you are in the business of selling earth moving equipment for example, you must know exactly what you are selling. I know the answer seems really obvious, when you imagine those huge yellow coloured machines that you see on mines or construction sites.
If you boarded a plane and the pilot that came over the intercom was incoherent and had no idea what the flight number was, no idea where he was going or even if there was enough fuel on board the plane, would you stay on board? Examine the person piloting your life right now, how coherent is your pilot, does he/she have a vision and a plan for your future?
You will only ever achieve the level of success you believe you deserve and that you believe you have the skill and ability to achieve. The reason for this is that your beliefs are what ultimately drive your behaviour and the actions you take or fail to take each day. What you believe to be true about your potential, abilities and level of skill, sends powerful messages to your brain, which either positively or negatively affects your actions and obviously the results you are able to achieve. Your beliefs will cause you to act in one of two ways:
The changes we are exposed to every day are no longer incremental or gradual. We are exposed to massive social and economic changes almost every day. If we are to survive and thrive in these turbulent times, we must get a handle on the magnitude and scope of the changes, which are happening all around us. In the past, where change was gradual and predictable, we could get by without a set of personal strategies and clear vision for the future.
This article seeks to discover the reason why some people commit to their dreams and carry out the daily disciplines necessary to ensure their success and others do nothing and just continue to travel on their path to mediocrity? I believe the answer is not that complicated or difficult to discover. I believe the reason some succeed and others don’t is driven by desire, hunger and commitment. Dare to awaken your own desire, commitment and belief in yourself and you too will have the drive to take the small actions you need to take daily to succeed.
Plan and Achieve Financial Independencer Inspirational Speakersr Create financial independence, by first setting and writing down your goal to achieve exactly that. Then develop a plan that is aligned with your goal that will allow you to turn part of your monthly income into capital. Work your plan and build up your capital reserves. Invest the capital that you accrue; into creating a profitable enterprise and then invest the profits that will flow from your successful enterprise into investments that offer recurring monthly annuity income.r
During the Tour De France, winning the race is all about personal commitment and team work. Each cyclist is a member of a team, whenever one of the top cyclists or potentials winners wants to break away from the bunch or make a strategic move to gain an advantage during the race. He depends on his team mates to assist him by going out front and absorbing the force of the oncoming wind to make a type of wind vortex to draw him along.
I am sure you have heard many people around say “It is not what you know, but rather, who you know that determines your level of financial or career success” I must admit that I believe that it is most certainly a combination of the two, which will ultimately determine the level of success you get to enjoy, in both of these areas. As your knowledge and skills grow, i.e. as you become more, so too will the calibre and type of people, who will want to connect with you, improve as well.
Are you so busy spinning your wheels every day, on the treadmill of your life that you feel completely overwhelmed and just caught up in a cycle of constant busyness? Does it feel like you never have any time available to invest in yourself? When last did you allow yourself to take a break from your busy schedule? Are you giving yourself permission to re-energise and renew yourself as often as you should? Do you have a daily plan, which encourages you to invest time into maintaining your health?
Coaching has been a norm in the sports arena for many years now and most if not all of the greatest sporting achievements of all time, have been the result of hard work and perseverance on the part of the athlete and the great input and support of their coach. It was not until the early 1990’s that people began to realise the huge benefit, which could flow to them and their businesses, if they engaged the services of a coach, to guide, assist and counsel them.
It takes real courage to be brilliant, consistently giving your best, so that you can live the best life possible and create a future where you live a life of meaning and satisfaction. I am not talking about waking up every day, where you strive to be THE BEST and compete with everyone round you, I am talking about waking up every day feeling inspired to be the best version of yourself possible, where you consistently use all your skills, talents and abilities to their optimal level.
Right now, is the time for you to emerge from behind the clouds that are hiding your ability and for you to finally allow the light of your unlimited potential to shine. Ignite the spark of possibility and allow it to burn in a brilliant blaze as you explore, discover and live your potential. Then aspire to live your life like a superb meteor, using every atom of your existence as you spread your magnificent glow over everything you touch.
The best way to convert a fantasy or a dream into a goal that you can achieve, is to write your dream or fantasy down and then to formulate a broad plan to achieve that goal. This simple step begins the process by creating something concrete in your mind. This then programs your mind to start looking for opportunities that are aligned with turning your intangible dreams and fantasies into real and meaningful realized outcomes.
As you know whatever you think about you will eventually bring about. It is for this reason that I recommend creating a few positive affirmations, which support your vision and goals. Positive affirmations are nothing more than positive statements, which we create; to support a new positive belief we need to develop or to support us to take the inspired action we need to take every day. One of the greatest threats to our success is our own negative self-talk and the nagging doubt we feel about our own abilities.
Did you know that your drive or inner motivation is effectively just a contraction of motive and action? It is the inner driving force, which compels you to take action and if it is to be effective, must come from within. When your motive to take action comes from within and is driven by a compelling internal image, not some obscure travel poster in your exte al environment, the offer of a big bonus or any other exte al stimuli, you do not completely identify with, it will be fleeting at best. Motivation
Despite the fact that there have been numerous tests conducted, where scientists have proven without a shadow of a doubt that we use our entire brain. The myth that we only use about 10 % of our brain has been repeated so many times that it is assumed to be a fact. I think the myth was born because it is assumed that most people only achieve about 10 % of their potential and as such they are only using about 10 % of the efficiency or the incredible potential available from their brains. I think this is probably true.
We all have gifts and amazing natural strengths in certain areas of our lives, yet no matter how well we may perform in these areas. There are still parts of our lives where we need support and are not very adept or strong. These areas where we have weaknesses cause us to reach a chasm in our lives or businesses, where we are unable to proceed without the support of someone else. Identifying people with whom we can form mutually beneficial relations, who can assist us and whom we can support or help get what they want in return.
Have you ever thought about what success means to you. Is it a status that you reach one day or is it a process, which continues throughout your life. An on-going process, in which you create a crystal clear vision of exactly what you want to have, do and be and then use, as the definitive direction for your life. Once you know exactly what you want and you formulate a crystal clear written down vision, everything in your life changes. You have a clear direction to aim for and as such nothing is in your way, everything is now on your way.
How has 2011 turned out for you? Are you satisfied with the results you have managed to achieve this year? If you are like the majority of people you are reaching the end of another year, where you feel worn out and frustrated. You have tried really hard, worked long hours and yet the meaningful life changing results you are seeking, just seem to elude you. Now is the time to finally choose to make the few small shifts necessary to change everything in 2012.
It cannot be disputed that certain people have specific strengths, which will certainly support them to be better at what we would traditionally call sales, than other people.
Challenges are Inevitable You will face challenges as small as a traffic jam, which may make you late for work in the morning, to massive challenges, such as the loss of your job, as a result of company resizing. In the moment these challenges may seem overwhelming and you may even feel like you are losing control and like your world is coming to an end.
You will always be able to achieve far more when you work together as a unified and supportive team, you will not only be more effective and efficient as a valued member of a team, but you will also develop great relationships with people that matter and who support each other. Research has also shown that committed members of any team who really support each other and work towards achieving a meaningful outcome, are far more satisfied and content, they are happy and enjoy going to work with their fellow team members every day.
Of course a ship is always safest when it is in the harbor, but a ship was not designed to spend its life, rusting away, safely in the harbor. It was designed to venture out into the large, unknown ocean, to explore, discover and bring back the wonders the world has to offer. The same is true for us, as human beings, we are safest, when we allow ourselves to remain trapped in our self-imposed comfort zones. Yes we may feel safe, but we are never fulfilled or content.
Have you ever attended a sport match where, the players reach half time. During this break they refresh themselves, gather their thoughts, examine their performance during the first half and set strategy for the second half of the match. Well as you reach the halfway mark in your year, have you planned a short break to go away, regroup, refresh, rejuvenate, explore your performance during the first half of the year and set new strategy for the rest of the year?
Become a Skilful and Successful Leader Inspirational Speakers When you are in a position of leadership and you want to attract top quality people to assist you to realize all your goals. Start by becoming the kind of quality person you are trying to attract yourself. Always lead by example and you will attract the right type of people into your corner.
Creating Successful Teams Encouraging your team to become energized and passionate about their roles within their respective teams can be a really challenging, yet the results that will flow from this endeavor will most certainly be well worth the effort. Passion is never passed onto your team through mere lip service and empty words; it is channeled to your team by action, drive and commitment on the part of the leader. As the leader, always strive to become a true example of the passion and energy you want to create in your team.
The two most valuable assets, you possess are your time and your health, can never be locked away in a vault for safekeeping. In fact in most cases their true value rarely gets appreciated, until they are depleted. Remember that both your health and your time are the raw materials, which create your life. You can either choose to use them wisely or waste both of them. With enough neglect, you can even destroy both altogether. You Have enough Potential for 100 lifetimesr
Have you sat and wondered why you seem trapped in a never ending cycle of knowing what you want, yet nothing seems to ever begin the process of moving your life in that direction? The reason you have not managed to realise your goals until now, is that your dreams and fantasies are defined by a vague and distant destination and your mind is continually thrown off by the elusiveness and ambiguity of this lack of clarity.
Accumulating financial wealth is, most certainly not the only measure of wealth and success. However money is the vehicle, which allows us to translate our intangible dreams and aspirations into tangible things. So don’t discount the importance of acquiring financial wealth, as part of your journey through life. As you know money cannot buy happiness or sadness, as both are an integral part of our journey through life, whether we are impoverished or the wealthiest person on the planet.
I am sure that you have heard of the ten year ove ight success. This happens when all of a sudden someone seems to appear from nowhere and turns into an ove ight success. They seem to just arrive on the scene, where they have the Midas touch and cannot put a foot wrong. They enjoy one incredible success after another. What the casual observer does not see, is the years of hard work, which has gone into establishing the foundation for that incredible success. These people have invested thousands of hours into building the momentum, which now seems unstoppable.
There is only one person keeping you trapped in a life, which you do not enjoy. That person is no one other than you. Get out of your own way and everything will immediately begin to change for the better. You are not born with courage or the drive to succeed, but at the same time, neither are you born with fear or doubt about your potential. I believe that your fear of success or failure for that matter is a direct result of all the pressures placed on you by society.
As a sales professional, you know that all that what really matters in the end are the results you are able to achieve. So if you want to be successful in sales, it is not about how much effort you put in every day or how much activity you perform daily. It is about the results you are able to produce. Of course more daily activity will equal improved results, but can you imagine how you could exponentially improve your sales performance, if you prioritised your activities, ensuring you were using your time as effectively as possible, to only carry out the right sales activities every day.
As the first month of 2012 draws to a close, how are you doing with turning this into your best year ever? If the results you have managed to achieve to date are less than satisfactory, there is only one barrier that is standing in your way and stopping you from accomplishing every wildly ambitious dream or goal you have for 2012. Let me give you a hint. It is the most useful piece of equipment you own, which unfortunately does not come with an operator’s manual and it is situated above your neck, between your ears.
I have never been a great spectator of sporting events and have never been bitten by the sports spectator bug, where I have felt compelled to follow my local football, baseball or soccer teams. I have preferred to be a participant in any sport, which has interested me. There is no harm in following your local team and supporting them, even allowing yourself to escape into the powerful atmosphere of expectation before a game. Rest and ensuring that there is an opportunity to recharge your batteries is a crucial part of any success journey.
We all need to make a living and even though we may be involved in something that is not inspiring us or making us feel passionate, right now, we must never allow that to stop us from expressing our true desire. Give yourself permission to dream once again, allow your mind to walk into the future and visualise yourself living the life of meaning and fulfillment you really want.
I have spent the past few years, observing how people behave, both when they are at work, where they should be investing their time as productively as possible, earning a living and also whilst they are at home, where they are meant to be relaxing and recharging their batteries. It astounds me to see, that they are never present when they are doing either.r
The pressures imposed by society on us to conform to the norms and expectations of the masses and the notion that anything you can’t touch, feel or see, cannot be real and is most certainly not believable, has forced us to repress our ability to know things before we think or in other words, we have suppressed our intuitive inner self. We no longer listen to or trust our inner voice or inner knowing. I hear you say “What inner voice and inner knowing” Well that voice that just asked that question is your inner self, which you are willing to listen to and believe.
No matter how tough things may have been in the past, you have a spotless future. As you wake up to this bright new day, the canvas of your life is blank. This new beautiful day offers you an opportunity to begin painting any picture you want for your future. Anything that may have happened in your past does not equal what you can make happen in your future. You have the choice today to press the reset button and to make the few small shifts necessary to completely change your life.
Look around your world; do you sincerely show appreciation to everyone around you? When last did you flash a smile at the lady at the checkout counter at the grocery store and thank her for her time? It costs nothing to be gracious and show appreciation to those around you. Not only does the recipient of you appreciation feel better after receiving it, but you as the person showing the appreciation does too.
When police agents are trained to recognise counterfeit money, they are trained to focus on knowing all the characteristics of the legal currency. They are trained using real money and work with only the legal tender, until they know every counterfeiting measure printed on or in the money. They study the money on both sides, until they know every feature of the money, which makes it legal tender. By knowing the real money so well, when they encounter any counterfeit money, they will immediately recognise it as counterfeit.
There are numerous distractions, which compete to get any business professionals attention every day. The biggest challenge they face, is to know where and how to focus their attention. When they lose their focus and they give their attention to the wrong things or they try to do too many things at once, they lose their ability to build or sustain a successful business.
Have you explained your value proposition? Any sales professional, who views objections as bad things, is missing the point. Objections are just your customer or prospects way of telling you that they do not completely understand and appreciate the value both you and your product or service offer them. When your customer or prospect raises an objection, it’s always a good sign. They are expressing their conce s and lack of understanding, giving you the opportunity to either allay their fears or better explain your value proposition.
Achieving success in sales is all about knowing who actually wields the hammer when it comes to making buying decisions. In some cases it is the purchasing manager, but in essence he or she may only be following purchasing specifications handed down from someone higher up the food chain.
It is incredible to be alive today and to have the freedom to choose, how your life will unfold in the future. You can either choose to continue spinning your wheels, where you just keep getting more of the same, disappointment, regret or where you get to experience no meaning in your life at all. Or you can make a different, better choice, where you choose to improve things, by inviting daily discipline into your life. Your commitment to daily discipline, is will direct you to take inspired goal specific action daily.
When helping individuals within corporations to work effectively with their affirmations. I remind them that they might sometimes feel resistance well up inside themselves, when they are affirming any new behaviour. When anyone in your team affirms something, which challenges their comfort zone, they will initially feel resistance. Their little voice will try to keep them trapped in their comfort zone and they will try will to negate the positive change, which they are attempting to introduce.
The one new certainty you have in your life in these fast moving and evolving times; is CHANGE. Whether by choice or by circumstance, any change you experience thrusts you out of your comfort zone and into a world of the unknown. We must learn to accept and embrace change in our own lives and our environments. Learning to embrace change and especially the positive changes you know are necessary in your life right now, is one of the most valuable tools you have available, to help you find joy and harmony and success in your life.