The Secret to Intense Focus By

One of the common elements you see in almost all successful people is focus. They saw what they wanted to achieve and they focused in on it like a laser. Then, when they become famous and we, the common folk, know their name, we are amazed at the focus they have.

Focus will set two people apart who have equal skills.

What I am about to say may appear to be blasphemous to some:
Tiger Woods is not that much more highly skilled than the other top PGA players!

No, I haven't lost my marbles. Take any of the big names and stick them on any course and on any given day they can shoot a 65 for 18 holes. You see, it isn't whether they can - they all CAN - it is whether or not they DO. And that is determined mostly by F-O-C-U-S.

Watch Tiger sometime in a close race to the finish. Watch when he hits a bad shot. Does he fall apart and grumble to anyone who will listen? No! In fact it is almost eerie to watch him lock back in, even more focused than ever. THAT is what makes him a champion. I truly believe it is Tiger's focus that has distinguished him from the rest of the field to become the best golfer ever.

The same is true with others who achieve great things, even in crucial and highly tense situations. Think John Elway in those final minutes of those games he brought the Broncos back in. Think of all of those last second shots that Michael Jordan took (that everyone in the entire arena knew he was going to take - including the other team). These were classic examples of focus.

So what can the average person do to increase their focus? There are some things to do to train yourself. You may never be Tiger Woods, either on the golf course or in the office, but you can increase your focus to where it needs to be to give you the success you desire.

In the remaining part of this article I want to show you how to stay away from a common mistake and turn toward a discipline of focus that will be the first step in greatly enhancing your ability to focus. I will show you a practice technique to use that will greatly enhance your focus and your performance.

The myth is that to focus we must push other things out of your mind. For example, people will say to an athlete, "Don't listen to the fans." Or someone will say to another, "Don't think about..." This doesn't work! For example, right now, do not picture your car. You thought of it right? Exactly. This myth actually gets you to focus on exactly what you don't want to focus on!

Instead, the secret to intense focus is to set your mind intently on what it is you want to focus in on. For example (I'm hoping we have some golfers here - and if not, make the changes you need to, but you should get the point), let's say you are standing over a ten foot putt.

What do you want to focus on? Making that putt! So what are the elements you should be aware of? Then focus on them. But go beyond mere observation. Most people just look at the line of the putt, take a guess on how hard to hit and fire away...

Here are some other things to do (remember the process here is to get you highly aware of your surroundings and to focus with intensity):

Look at the hole. Is the plastic cup even with the top of the grass or is it sunken in? How much? Bet you never noticed that before. Does the grass tip in at the edge or is it even?
How long is the grass between you and the hole? Does it waver in length from foot to foot?

Is there sand along the way in your path? How much? What color? What size? Is it even or just for a section?

Are there any bugs sitting on the ground between you and the hole?
Does the hill go up or down at all? Not significantly - you would have already noticed that - but even slightly?

Is there a slight wind? Can you feel it blowing on your face?

Lastly, imagine that ball rolling along that path, curving slightly if it has to, and falling in the hole. I mean, really create that movie in your head and watch it!

Chris, is this the secret to making your putts? No, but it's an example of how to focus... Be observant. Notice. Focus. Lock into your focal point(s).

The same could be done at a business meeting with all of the people there, what questions they are asking, what points are being made, what may come next, what the others are wearing, why they chose that outfit for this meeting (What they were trying to accomplish etc).

The myth of most focus advice is to try to not focus on bad things.

The secret to intense focus is to focus to a higher degree than you normally do on the "good things" - the things you are trying to accomplish!

Give it a try for a week. Focus intensely on what it is you want to accomplish. Bring yourself to a much higher degree of awareness of the surroundings etc... and see for yourself the power behind this methodology!

Then when you have taught yourself to do this for practice, it will become a part of you and you will start to do it naturally and that will be an incredible day!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Widener

Manifesting Success With Creative Visualization

Think that creative visualization is a mental technique reserved just for artists and writers?

Think again! Creative visualization - a technique where one envisions and focuses on a particular goal, like losing weight or gaining a promotion at work - is not just a positive and powerful self-affirmation; it is a key method that allows you to manifest thoughts and beliefs into reality.

Ask any successful business owner or movie star how they got to where they are today, and they will let you in on a little secret: they envisioned their dream goals from Day One. And those visions gave them the strength and hope to work hard towards their dreams, even in the face of some pretty tough obstacles.

But you do not have to be the next Bill Gates to learn how to manifest your own success with creative visualization!

If you have heard of the law of attraction, then think of visualization as the road map that helps you get to your ultimate destination. Visualization creates powerful thoughts within our subconscious minds; the more we visualize and believe that something is true, the more our thoughts, attitudes and actions shift in recognition of this belief. And it is these shifts that are directly responsible for bringing the things we most want and need into our lives.

Think of the last really amazing day you had. You probably woke up with a smile on your face, bounded out of bed, and greeted your family with a big kiss. When you arrived at work, your boss noted your positive attitude and gave you an exciting and rewarding project to work on. After spending a blissful day in the office, you came home again, and spent the rest of the evening playing out in the backyard with your kids, all of whom brought home as on their report cards.

That was not all just a happy coincidence: in fact, because you filled your subconscious with positive thoughts, you attracted positive outcome your way. You visualized and believe in a happy family and a rewarding career - and you got it.

Creative visualization can help you to make those amazing days more common. The more you visualize your ultimate dream life - like a house by the beach or a wonderful husband and kids - the more powerful your thoughts and attitudes will become. And if there is anything to be learned from the law of attraction, it is this: the universe will always find a way to manifest powerful thoughts and beliefs into reality.

So what is that ultimate destination for you? Are you determined to find a more rewarding career with a better salary? Are you desperate to backpack across Europe for a couple of months? Do you want to erase all toxic debt from your life? No matter what the goal, mapping out your eventual destiny will help you to make those mental shifts that manifest themselves into real life.

So do not just sit back and wait for that promotion to come your way - truly believe that you are going to get it. Visualize yourself sanding in your new corner office, surrounded by your admiring co-workers. Picture yourself receiving that lucrative new paycheck. Imagine how good it feels to finally get recognized for your work. Finally, follow up with affirming action! Eventually, success will come your way - thanks to using the power of your thoughts, imagination and inspired actions!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Evelyn_Lim

The Difference Between "Looking" and "Being"

I am a naturally small guy, so I would always overeat to try to gain muscle mass. I remember years ago when I got my first gym membership. The personal trainer was teaching me how to bench press. I remember how he kept taking the weights off of the bar, 10 pounds at a time, because I would struggle with the weight.

When the trainer finally took the last two 10 pound weights off of the bar, I still struggled to lift the bar. I felt so weak. I remember the look on his face when I struggled to bench press that empty bar. He actually shook his head in disgust and walked away, leaving me to struggle with the bench press bar.

I was so embarrassed that I decided I would never be weak again. I started going to the gym every day as soon as they opened at 5 in the morning. I wanted to get there before anybody else, because I was so ashamed for other people to see me trying to work out. I was the first person in the gym every morning. Some days I would get there at 4:30 am and would be waiting on the steps when the trainer arrived.

I bought a body building encyclopedia and I was determined to train myself. I was frustrated because regardless of how much I worked out, I could not gain any weight. This is when I started drinking those disgusting weight gainers and protein shakes. I would also go to an all-you-can-eat buffet every morning after my work out.

I also had a pizza delivery job at the time and we always had extra pizza, so I started eating two whole pizzas every day. Before I knew it I had started to put on muscle mass and people started to notice.

I developed two habits in my early twenties that stayed with me for the next decade. I always worked out even though I was inconsistent, and I also developed the habit of eating massive amounts of junk food.

It was a couple of years before I started working out at they gym, when I saw my first network marketing business presentation.

The presenter was wearing an expensive suit and alligator shoes, and he talked about how a job was an acronym for "Just Over Broke". He also talked about all of the money he was making in network marketing. I was a broke college student at the time, and to me he "looked" rich.

I have always wanted to be rich since I was a little kid, but I never knew how. After attending that network marketing presentation, I finally thought I had the answer, but I was flat broke at the time and the cost to get started was $500.

I went home trying to figure out how I would come up with the $500. My parents had just bought me a new computer for school, and I was able to pawn it for exactly $500.

Well, I was going to school at Tuskegee University in Alabama at the time. The nearest training facility for that particular network marketing opportunity was in Atlanta, Georgia.

My up-line told me that I needed to do two things to be successful:

1. Never miss a weekly training

2. Always bring new people to the weekly business presentation

I would drive two hours both ways every week from Tuskegee, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia. I brought new people with me every time, but I barely sponsored enough people to make my money back. Even worse, nobody on my team made any money at all.

I ended up dropping out of college, because I knew that I could not get rich by learning how to work for someone else. In hindsight I realize that I did not have the best decision making skills, because I ended up losing a full scholarship.

Well, I spent the next decade of my life chasing my dream of financial freedom. I was susceptible to "get rich quick" schemes, and I would try just about anything that I thought would help me make a lot of money.

I was also taught to dress for success, and how to look successful. This was part of the reason why I was able to sponsor over 150 people when I tried another network marketing business a few years later.

Well, if you fast forward to December of 2009, my eating habits and financial habits had finally caught up with me. A few months prior, I had filed for bankruptcy and my home/investment property had been foreclosed.

I also had a mini-stroke, but I did not realize it until I noticed that it was becoming difficult for me to speak clearly and I also started to lose my balance.

By January of 2010, I was homeless and I had reached the lowest point of my life. It was at that point that I made the decision that I no longer cared about "looking" healthy. I wanted to "be" healthy. I also do not care about "looking" rich. I want to "be" rich.

There is a big difference between " looking" and "being". I do not agree with the idea of "fake it until you make it." "Looking" is about giving a false perception, or in other words being fake. "Being" is about developing the characteristics and your character.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremiah_Carstarphen

3 Proven Principles How You Can Unleash Your Maximum Potential

Do you want to know how you can unleash your maximum potential so that you can and are able to produce amazing results in your life just like every other successful did? If your answer is a yes, this will be the perfect article that you cannot miss.

Since you are reading this article right now, I believe that you do not want to live in mediocrity. You strongly believe that you would like to learn the secret of how you can unleash your greatness to achieve all your goals and make all your dreams come true. And this is exactly what you are going to discover below, the 3 proven principles to uncover your maximum potential...

1. In order to produce the results you want in your life, you must be clear about what you want in your life. In other words, you have to be visionary. Spend some time right now to think about your future. Take out a piece of paper and write down your dreams. You do not have to be very specific down to every detail. You just need to know what you want in your life.

2. Next, the main difference between a successful person and an ordinary person is the habit of doing something that you dislike. Do you think you love to wake up early in the morning to go for jogging? Of course not, you will rather continue to sleep in your warm blanket. However, successful people are able to do what most people dislike and be great in doing it.

Can you see the difference between these two groups of people right now? And one more important key is that successful people focus on the rewards instead of the process. When you think about waking up in the morning, you will feel like procrastinating because it is not a fun thing to do. However, if you focus on the reward that you are going to get, you will feel motivated to do it.

3. Finally, you must take action and keep going. It does not matter whether you are using the right plan or strategy to accomplish your goals, the most important key is to keep it going. You do not have to wait until everything is right only then you want to act. Therefore, if you have a thought of starting your own business, go ahead. Do not wait until it is perfect. Just do it and things will get right.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shawn_Li

4 Steps to Success by Taking Charge of Your Life

All Engines "GO"

In the following segment, we'll go through four steps that will help you "take off" in the right direction. Make no mistake - if you are completely serious about taking charge of your life, and finding the success you're looking for, the tips presented in our series will put you on the right path.

So, let's get started!

Step 1: Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Once you have acquired clarity of vision and purpose, the next step to achieving success is to specifically define S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym 'SMART' stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive. Identifying what you want and determining S.M.A.R.T. goals as benchmarks is another key to achieving success. If you don't have a clear roadmap of where you're going, you're likely to end up anywhere BUT your intended destination!

Step 2: Defer, Delegate, or Delete

In addition to making your plan, you also need to develop a direction to your action plan. This will keep you motivated to keep going forward at all times. Although you may need some self-discipline to accomplish this, it is a vital aspect of any kind of achievement. Before beginning any new activity, examine it to see if it will help in moving you closer to the goals you have in mind. If it doesn't, you may need to put it aside for another time.

Deferring, delegating, or to deleting are the 3 D's taught by many personal and business coaches. If a certain activity can be put away for a later time, defer it. If that activity can be done by somebody else, delegate it. If it does not really need to be done at all, delete it. This kind of examination of each activity will help keep you focused on the things that are really important.

Step 3: Decide on the Course of Action

One of the first steps in the process of successfully taking control of your life is to make the decision to move from where you are now to where you want to be, personally and professionally. All of us know that nothing happens until that first decision is made. Acknowledging your decision is a basic step, but often one many people tend to overlook. So, decide you will move forward, put your decision in writing to keep it in focus, and then continue in a positive direction from there.

Step 4: Take Action

The eighth and final step is the catalyst to transforming your personal or professional life into whatever you want it to be. Absolutely nothing can be attained or achieved until action is taken. By putting your plan of action into motion, you will gain control over your own life and confidently headed down your road of success!

It's a wonderful feeling when you know you are becoming a successful "C.E.O. of Your Life" and are finally back in the driver's seat. Print out the 8 steps we covered and tape them to your bathroom mirror or your computer screen so you can review them daily as you journey forward towards the personal and professional results you're seeking in your life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kris_Cavanaugh