Life obstacles; great aren’t they?
But suppose you are given a choice to live a life without any type of obstacles or challenges. Can you imagine a life without obstacles?
Would you take that if it were possible? You may be tempted to jump at the chance, however, it is likely it would not measure up to your expectations.
Several years ago, there was a television program that focused on only good news. It actively looked for good news in the local community and even in other places.
Do you know what happened? The show did not last because people seem to be more drawn to bad news. Isn’t that interesting?
The thing is, our minds are hardwired to solve problems, so when problems don’t exist, our minds become idle and we become bored with our situations.
Therefore, subconsciously, we welcome obstacles so that we can figure out how to overcome or solve them.
When we crash against an obstacle or challenge in our lives, we often moan and groan about how “life isn’t fair…” etc. but we need these things in our life to force us to grow as individuals.
Just think about an obstacle course. Why do these even exist and why do people try to get around them as quickly as possible?
If we weren’t so inclined to solve problems, these never would have become popular. But, we still participate in them because of the challenge involved.
The military use these to inspire things such as free thinking, abstract thought and leadership; 3 qualities highly regarded in life and crucial in soldiering.
When we manage to get past some obstacle, we experience a feeling of elation and accomplishment, which increases in proportion to how difficult the obstacle was to overcome.
Getting past the obstacle may happen very quickly or may happen over a period of time. It could be a mental or physical challenge, or even both. The thing is, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever the situation, we welcome the challenge, at least on a deep, subconscious level.
Some people will withdraw when faced with certain obstacles. They may feel as though these particular types of obstacles are beyond their ability to solve them and this is unfortunate because we all have the capability of solving most situations.
The difference between these people and others who succeed in overcoming these challenges is the belief that they can do so, not being put off by past experience and the perseverance to keep going (grit).
Even when the obstacles are dire, dangerous or even life threatening, people who approach it in a positive manner will have a much greater chance of overcoming them.
What is certain is that if you don’t try, you will definitely fail and that obstacle will become part of you in a negative way. It could destroy your life if you let it.
Your “failure” to overcome it can really eat at you and cause a quick downwards spiral which can make you less certain of yourself and thus even less inclined to face up to future challenges; it is a type of negative self-fulfilling prophesy that you need to be aware of and do everything to avoid.
Obstacles are an integral part of life and as you have seen from this post, they are necessary for our survival and continued growth as human beings and should be embraced.
They may be difficult to come to terms with. However, when we get to the point of overcoming them, we have tools we can use to make our lives better and that is an incredible experience.
But even more powerful is that we can extend our experience to helping others overcome similar obstacles and challenges as well.
And there is no greater feeling than helping someone to overcome a situation that they thought impossible!
So, why not think about all this the next time you are faced with a difficult situation and realise that it is not a challenge or obstacle, but rather an opportunity to stretch yourself and to grow and become a better version of yourself.
This kind of positive re-framing can make all the difference in getting past the problem and you will become a much stronger individual in the process. You will also show others that you can deal with adverse situations and they may start to turn to you to help them and you can become a powerful leader and force in their lives.
So, I ask you again; could you imagine life without obstacles?
I hope the answer is a resounding “No!”
If you search the Internet for quotes about success and/or failure, you’re pretty much guaranteed to come across this one:
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
This was alleged to have been said by Sir Winston Churchill but there is no evidence that he actually said such a thing, but the sentiment is a good one.
Do you believe that failure is not fatal?
You can’t let failure, or more accurately, fear of failure, hold you back from pursuing the life of your dreams.
Let’s be honest for a second; if you don’t fail at something, it probably means you haven’t tried anything of any real worth or significance.
Either that, or you chose something that was too easy to accomplish, and you got it right first time. If you continually look for the easy way, you may not be living up to your full potential. Eventually, you are going to be confronted with something you find difficult to accomplish, and you may even fail at it.
Living within your comfort zone is a nice, safe place, but you need to venture outside it if you ever want to grow to reach your true potential.
Most people look down at their failures and consider themselves losers when they happen. They look at the profiles of successful people and think that only those people are good enough to make things happen. What they don’t see, is the failures all of those successful people went through before experiencing their successes.
There are many instances of this. Just look at Thomas Edison, or more recently, Sylvester Stallone. These people overcame massive rejection and failure, but did they stop? No, and they went on to achieve great things in their lives.
But people never see the failures and obstacles they went through; they just see the success that they have accomplished – in fact, they often view these people as “overnight successes” when nothing could be further from the truth!
Why not try to view failure as a gift instead? It is something you can use to figure out what went wrong. When you observe your steps, you may find that it was a minor flaw in what you attempted. Others would simply give up saying it is too hard.
Remember that you will only fail, if you decide to give up! If you keep going and keep learning, then you will be able to succeed eventually.
Of course, you need to hold the belief that what you want to accomplish is possible. If you don’t truly believe this, the chances are that you will keep failing over and over again and never arrive at a solution.
But, if you are confident what you want to achieve can happen, then you must be determined to stop at nothing to make it so. This is what differentiates successful people from unsuccessful people; the willingness to keep going in the face of adversity, and an unwavering belief that they can and will succeed.
Another way to look at failure is this; consider your failures to be a learning process for your projects. As long as you spend the time figuring out what you were trying to do, and analyzing why it didn’t work, you are gaining valuable insight into the problem. Keep going with your efforts even if you fail thousands of times. Hold true to your belief in the project and stop at nothing to get it done.
You may have heard of the phrase “Fail forward fast” and this is what you need to keep in mind whenever you fail; it is just a part of the journey, and not the ultimate destination UNLESS you allow it to be!
If there is any formula for success, it can all be boiled down to an unwavering belief in the possibility of the project happening, as well as being tenacious in your efforts to bring it to fruition. In this way, you should never put yourself down for failing. In fact, you should expect it and embrace it. Be suspicious if it doesn’t happen.
It’s sad that most people don’t have the self-compassion for failure. These people try once or twice and then give up thinking that whatever goal they were trying to accomplish just wasn’t not meant to be. If only they gave it a few more thousand or so tries.
It’s easy to give up, and the human mind will always look for the path of least resistance and try to convince you that giving up is best for you.
But is it really?
Of course, it isn’t. If you can only push through the pain and disappointment of failing and stop beating yourself up and allowing yourself to feel self-compassion, that all is not lost, then you could achieve so much more that you are currently.
I believe in you and that everybody has the capacity to become successful and the best versions of themselves. The trouble is that most people just don’t believe in either their ability to succeed, or (even worse) that they don’t believe that they are worthy of success.
With unconscious thoughts like these whizzing around your head, is it no wonder that people struggle from one thing to the next.
Failure is a part of success; you can’t have one without the other, so you need to embrace failure and enjoy the journey you are on to achieving your goals.
Whenever you encounter failure, it is okay to feel sorry for yourself. Most gurus will tell you to “man up” and “get over it” but that isn’t always the smart approach. I am telling you that it is okay to feel sorry for yourself, to feel dejected and frustrated. But also understand that it is a process and you can learn from it, adjust and keep going.
Achieving goals should be a lifelong process and you will fail so many times along the way but as long as you can keep the end goal in mind, you can pick yourself up, embrace the process and enjoy the journey you are on to success.
It all comes back to the title of this post: “Failure is not fatal” and if you can put your faith in those 4 words, you can achieve anything you want.
If you want to know more about how you can “enjoy the journey” then I encourage you to check out this cool training that can help you to do just that. You can find out more here: warr.pro/Journey-Full
Can I ask you a question?
How often do you hear that little voice in your head that tells you that you aren’t quite good enough? Hourly, daily, weekly?
If you’re like most people, you probably hear it all too often and it is having a significant impact on the quality of your life.
Negative self-talk can severely hinder your progress in life and decrease the chances of you ever achieving your goals. And do you really want that for yourself? I doubt it, and you will be glad to hear that you can do something about it, starting today.
There are ways that you can turn that doubting inner voice into a positive one and I have complied a list of them below.
Follow these ten simple tips and you will be able to turn things around and create a new positive, helpful voice that will help you to build your confidence and change your life for the better and it’s not as difficult as you may think.
Using positive affirmations can help program your mind to speak in a positive voice more often. They are positive statements written in the present tense.
You should say them out loud first thing in the morning when you wake up and just before you go to sleep at night as these are the times when your brain is at its most receptive.
Regular repetition throughout the day will reinforce the positive messages and help them to become second nature. Don’t underestimate this simple practice, as you will find that many successful people practice affirmations, so there must be something in it, right?
You really need to be aware of that voice that you are hearing in your head. Listen to what it is saying and how it is talking to you.
If it is constantly negative, then you need to take action to turn it into a supportive and positive voice. Listen carefully and when you catch a negative thought turn it into a positive statement instead. It is all about training yourself to focus on the positive, rather than the negative; do that and you can train your inner voice to work for you rather than against you.
It’s a simple fact that regular meditation can help you develop greater control over your thoughts and emotions.
It will teach you how to listen carefully and to quieten your inner voice.
This will help you create a sense of calm and peace, which in turn reduces stress and anxiety.
As you gain greater control over your mind you will be able to silence the negative voice when it starts to speak. Meditation, along with awareness can quash your negative voice for good.
Take time every day to think of at least three things you are grateful for.
It’s all too easy to lose yourself in the negative aspects of the day and to give in to the negative voice in your head.
Instead focus on the positive and be grateful. Write them down in a journal so that you can remember them and revisit them if needed.
If you want to know more about using gratitude in your life, you can download a free report about Positive Self Reflection here: warr.pro/PosSelf
It’s all too easy to think about all the things that can go wrong, and these thoughts can easily take over in times of stress or anxiety.
But, instead of thinking of all the negative outcomes stand back and look at the situation from a different point of view.
This can shift your perception dramatically and make you feel better instantly.
Create some distance between yourself and your emotions. An effective yet simple way to do this is to think in the third person.
So instead of saying to yourself, “I’m really angry with myself because…”, say, “You’re really angry. Why?”
By creating psychological distance, a study by Ethan Kross, PhD of the University of Michigan found that participants were able to regulate their emotions and reduce discomfort, probably because the conversation wasn’t about “me” but rather about “you” which is a subtle but powerful difference.
One simple change you can make is to use the phrase, “I don’t,” instead of, “I can’t”. By saying “I don’t” you are taking responsibility and ownership of your thoughts.
If you are trying to lose weight then instead of saying, “I can’t eat cake” say, “I don’t eat cake”. The power of this approach was found in a study by Vanessa Patrick at the University of Houston.
By investing in professional help, you will have the benefit of mentoring and accountability.
These professionals are able to use a range of tools to help change your subconscious mind and remove blocks, change language and thought patterns and create new positive habits and behaviour.
There are numerous options including NLP (Neural Linguistic Programming), Coaching or Hypnotherapy.
Body language can have a massive effect on your state of mind.
I once heard Tony Robbins state that “Emotion follows motion” so you can use your physical body to change your mental state dramatically.
Changing your body language can change your outlook and increase your sense of positivity and self-confidence. Stand or sit up straight with your shoulders back, hold your head high and smile. When you do this, you will find it almost impossible to feel miserable.
What are Oracle Cards you may ask?
Well, Oracle Cards are a really useful tool to help you connect with your subconscious and also to create change in your life.
They include positive inspirational images, affirmations and ideas about how to create change.
Pick a card each morning to guide you through the day creating positive change. If you don’t want to use the cards yourself you can get a reading done by a professional oracle reader; many of whom are also coaches, Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioners or hypnotherapists.
Well that’s it. 10 tips to bolster your positive self talk.
Put them to use and inner peace can be yours. I’ve also put some actions steps below, so why not try one of them and start experiencing it right now?
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Stand up straight, hold your head high, shoulders back and smile. Feel your self-confidence grow. | Contact a coach, Neuro Linguistic Practitioner or hypnotherapist. Many give a free initial consultation. | Take a break, sit, breathe and enjoy the moment. Finish by saying, “I can and I will.” Take action. |
Are you holding yourself back? Do you even truly know whether this is the case or not? I ask these questions because they can sometimes be very difficult to answer objectively about yourself. Your subconscious mind tends to gloss over these things unless you make a conscious effort to focus on them. One of the big hurdles which can be holding you back in both personal and business/career growth is that of putting limitations on yourself and your ability. However, these are not (normally) true limitations, but rather perceived limitations that may no, in fact, be true at all! Let’s take a look at perceived limitations a bit deeper.
Perceived limitations can be as challenging as trying to tie a rope with your hands behind your back. We know by watching athletes achieve the seemingly impossible feats of man against the elements, that the mind and body can exceed limits far past what we may expect of ourselves.
We all have that power within us. An obstacle may seem insurmountable, but rather than ask yourself if you can overcome it, challenge yourself to figure out how you can do it.
Endurance events that athletes face are no different than the challenges you face at work, in relationships or in completing goals and realizing your dreams. When you surrender your dreams to the limitations you place on yourself, you’ll never reach the vision of your true destiny.
There’s nothing deep or mystical in lifting the limitations on your life – it just takes persistence and continuous results. One thing you can do to challenge those limitations you place on yourself is to list what you want to accomplish and then think about what you have to do to get there.
Dream big. Don’t just stick to things you know and that are in your comfort zone. It’s those challenges that will spur you on to even greater things. You may change your challenges and dreams as you go along because of a change of mindset, injuries or life-altering situations, but always focus on the finish line you set for yourself.
After you figure out how you can challenge the limitations you set for yourself, it’s time to prepare for the race. You wouldn’t swim the English Channel without preparing months (or even years) ahead for the challenges you’ll face across those treacherous waters.
Prepare for your own journey through extensive training, gathering knowledge, getting your body and mind in shape for the challenge and anything else you can do to make sure you’ll be successful.
You may need to adjust your strategy from time to time as you learn, but eventually you’ll be on your way to the success you envision. Next, you’ll have to put your plan into motion.
This can be a difficult time for some because you’re afraid of failure. After all, you’ve been thinking and preparing for the race – and now you have to make it happen. But it’s far worse to hold back and do nothing than to fail because you didn’t even try.
Last, you need to believe in yourself. You are the only obstacle in your way of achieving greatness and you should never let self-doubt keep you in a box because you were afraid of failure and thought you had limitations you couldn’t overcome.
Think like a child. Children boldly believe they can climb the highest tree or venture out into the middle of the lake. Thank goodness adults are there to hold them back. Those are true limitations.
Your fear of success is false. You may have limited yourself in your thinking process or perhaps others have made you think you can’t do it. You can – and you will – cross the finish line of success when you challenge those perceived limitations you’ve set for yourself.
Never accept any thought or suggestion that limits your ability to achieve everything you can dream of to have the kind of life you crave and deserve. Get busy and begin to challenge those false beliefs! This can be difficult to begin with, but keep breaking down these self-limiting beliefs and you won’t believe what you can truly accomplish when you let yourself believe in what you can do.
This is too important to leave, so start right now; look deep inside yourself, find any self-limiting belief and deal with it head on and watch your life change for the better.
So, you want to know the quickest way to build and grow your business quickly! Well the answer is actually pretty simple and common sense if you think about it!
Drumroll please!
The quickest way to build your business is:
Cloning!
No, not cloning sheep or mice, but cloning yourself through outsourcing.
Hiring other people to do various tasks in your business will grow the business like nothing else.
Most people think of outsourcing as an expense that eats away at the bottom line. They avoid jumping on outsourcing because they see it as an expensive luxury instead of a unique way to solve problems and grow fast.
Make no mistake: Outsourcing is no luxury!
It is the KEY to transforming what you do from a J.O.B. to a viable, scalable business. Systematizing your business so that other people can do the work without you being involved in the details does two things for you:
And that’s why you’re in business, isn’t it, enjoying life?
Unfortunately, most small business owners never experience the power of outsourcing. They never experience a team that’s fully invested in the business’s success and they don’t build the business with systems in mind.
Outsourcing comes with benefits…
Your goal as a business owner is to earn more and work less I hope. Scaling your business with outsourcing leads to:
But you have to do it right. If you continue to run your business as a solopreneur doing everything yourself, eventually you’ll discover that you’ve created a really difficult job and work for a really bad boss.
The alternative is creating a scalable and sustainable business which means you must do the things that bring the best financial return. Those things are important.
When you start paying attention to all of your Urgent vs Important tasks, you soon discover that the Important tasks are usually the ones left undone.
Urgent always wins…
Unless you put a plan with a team in place to minimize the urgent tasks, and handle them when they do come up, it’s nearly impossible to focus on the important…
Let’s be clear on what Urgent AND Important means…
This is an emergency.
That kills a staff’s morale.
When you build systems and put people in charge of those systems, they become accountable. And they work to ensure less urgent activities. Your freedom and success live in the Important But NOT Urgent quadrant. So should you.
Unless you have systems, and people working those systems, most of your activities are the same that you’ve done many times before needlessly. Our businesses are full of processes and tasks that create revenue and expenses. The goal is to control the expenses and create more revenue.
Scaling your business is the best way to grow your revenue. Making more money requires leverage – cloning yourself. Unless you start leveraging other people, your business will stay small and revenues more than likely will be thin.
When you start scaling and expanding, you’ll find outsourcing makes that happen.
The FIRST thing you need to do is find a profitable niche because if your niche isn’t profitable you are wasting your time!
If you want to know more about discovering hot, profitable niches, take a look here: https://warr.us/NAMSNiches👌.
To get started with outsourcing/scaling you need to discover how to…
Find a task that needs to be done but is not urgent or important to your business. (This is something that can’t hurt your business if it’s messed up.)
For example, imagine that you have a PDF document with 200 resource links that you’d like to transfer to a spreadsheet. That’s a perfect task for outsourcing.
You’re looking for someone that you can build a long-term relationship with, so you want to see how they handle the project.
If that experience was positive, try them on something else.
Look at your calendar. Is there something you have to do each month, week, or day that can’t be done by automation (computer), but is done the same way every time?
Here are some examples:
And more.
Create a process document, or make a video of the task activities. You’re beginning to build a business operations manual. And that’s one of the keys to building a real business asset that adds value.
What is more important to you? Cost, Quality or Speed? As the saying goes, you can have two of those. Never all three.
When you’re looking for good help, make sure you understand:
Compromise and can still get what you need for the price you need it when you need it. But you must understand your need. Finding outsourcing resources can be tough, especially good ones. Word of mouth is the best source to find good people, but satisfied business owners seldom share their best resources. But you can ask. And you can ask them to make a referral.
If you can’t get a good referral, go to a site like UpWork.com and look for people with high ratings and skill sets that you need. Pay close attention to the reviews. The people you recruit will be an important part of your profit center.
Remember, every task or process outsourced should be creating more revenue for you. Think of outsourcing as a profit center, not an expense. If you’re doing it right, you should be creating more revenue with every process you outsource.
