The 3 Keys to Success

If you desire to become better, or successful at something, this article will provide you the foundation to get started. Chances are, no matter what your current income, relationship, or job situation is, you wouldn't mind being more successful. Of course, the term success is unique to you. You must first define success and then determine what you want to be successful at.

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing. -Abraham Lincoln

The first step to becoming successful is to emulate the ones who've already done it. You know the saying: don't recreate the wheel…

#1 Get a Mentor All successful people have credited at least one influential person or mentor in their life. Mentors not only provide support but also challenge your thoughts and actions. Not to prove who's right or wrong, but to open your horizons, offer other options, challenge pre-conceived ideas, and truly help you discover who you are. A mentor will never accept the phrase: "I don't know, it's just always been that way!" because a mentor believes you control your future.

#2 Be Healthy Live… Breathe… Think… Eat: Health. We all know healthy living (exercise) and eating is important. However, for the road to true success, it's not enough. It's imperative your mind – yes, every thought – supports your decision to be successful




Be aware of negative self-talk or thoughts. They will put a stop to your success faster than anyone or anything else. Which means you may have to re-program your thoughts. To do this, continuously reaffirm the fact you are attaining your goal. Notice I didn't say you will attain your goal. The key is to focus on your thoughts, not your actual actions. Why? Your mind does not know the difference between fact and make-believe. By repeatedly saying you're successful, your mind will accept it as fact.

Once your entire being functions at 100%, nothing will stop you. Roadblocks become hurdles, hurdles become rocks in the road. Rocks become great stories along the way. All things will be possible.

#3 Put Blinders On Only focus on your goal. Henry Ford once said, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." Keep your eyes on your goal and don't look around.

Success (whatever that may mean to you) can be attained by anyone – especially you. With your eyes on the goal, a mentor to guide you, and a healthy attitude, you offer yourself no other possibility than to succeed.

Attracting Success

We all wish to be successful and yet somehow we seem to be missing the target. In this article we will show you how to become more successful in all your endeavors.

Success often eludes many people. Like the inevitable pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, people set their hearts on following their dreams only to wake up disappointed.

Disappointment can be crushing to people. They sit and wonder what on earth they did wrong. They may have a strong belief in that pot of gold, but a dream alone cannot make your visions a reality.

You may have read a myriad of books and followed all the rules and imagined yourself as the successful person that you want to be. Your vision may be crystal clear and that is a good thing. The Bible says, "Without a vision the people perish". The problem remains that envisioning yourself as successful is not enough.

What are your dreams?
What are you hopes for the future?
Have you ever written them down?

If you could be anything that you wanted to be and go where you wanted to go, who would you be? What would you be like? Where would you be living?

I want you to take a few moments now and write down the answer to these questions. Be as specific as you can so you can visualize these things as being true today. Crystallize these ideals in your mind.

Don't cheat here, this is an important exercise, now go and write the answers down on a piece of paper, or better still in a book. You can call this your Dream Book to Success.

Now ask yourself this question: What do I need to do in order to live the life I dream of?

What do I need to do to make my dreams a reality?

The first step is to make sure you do not put off the vision too far in the distance. Don't live on tomorrow's sunshine. At the same time, don't expect to have a change overnight. There is no magic pill that is going to bring about your dream. There is no easy road that will bring you to the Emerald City.

Someone once said "the road to success is filled with hard knocks" and this is reality.

You CAN achieve your dreams only if you systematically prepare yourself to receive them. You also must believe that you CAN receive them.




Henry Ford said, "If you think you can you can, and if you think you can't, you can't"

If you believe that you CAN achieve your dreams then it's time for you to start planning on how you are going to make your dreams of success come true. Don't let fear sabotage your thinking. If you have faith, you can move mountains! Sometimes though a mountain must be moved a piece at a time.

This takes planning. No amount of wishful thinking will get you what you want. Your vision may be crystal clear but with out a plan it's just a dream. You need to plan your life in order to get the results you wish for.

You need to set goals for yourself. I know, you hate the thought of setting goals, but unless you put it down in writing and give it a date, it won't happen. I can guarantee it.

Do you see yourself as slim and sitting on a beach somewhere? Well if you need to lose weight, dreaming isn't going to make it happen. You must write down your goal for losing weight.

In order for my dream to come true I must lose __________ pounds. This is a good start. Now visualize yourself standing in front of a mirror weighing your perfect weight. Doesn't that feel good?

This is your target, your dream, your vision. Now ask yourself, in order to reach that goal, what steps do I need to take today. Is it reasonable to say to yourself that you could lose 10 pounds a month? Too much? How about 4 pounds a month? Can you make a decision to yourself to lose 1 pound a week. In a year that would be 52 pounds! If you lost 2 pounds a week that would be 104 pounds! See how much you can do by breaking your goals down to bite size pieces. Your mountain can literally be moved piece by piece, or pound by pound in this example. Voila ! Success!

There is nothing mystical in making your dreams a success. In every situation you can do it piece by piece until your mountain is moved and you achieve Success.

Coping With Stress

With Christmas just around the corner, many people are racking their brains trying to figure out what gifts to give to everyone. Finding the time to shop on top of all the other daily stresses we encounter just adds to our dilemma. (No, I am not going to try and sell you products here or give you gift ideas.)

Holidays bring about their own added stress with all the shopping and party going that must be done. For some it is the straw that breaks the camels back so before it arrives we must be prepared to cope with it.

Stress is an inevitable part of life. We will never be able to get rid of it completely. In fact, you wouldn't want to get rid of it completely because, believe it or not, stress is also good for you. Stress revs up our internal engines and makes us ready to take action. The problems arise when we don't take care of the situations at hand. This keeps our engines running but we are not going anywhere. Life is not meant to be lived as a Formula 1 Race.

Lily Tomlin once said, "Some people say life is a rat race. If we take that attitude, then even if you win, you are still a rat".

Life doesn't have to be a rat race. We can learn to live with stress as we learn to allow balance into our lives.

How can we cope with stress?
The first step in coping with stress is to be sure that we get enough sleep. This is the first area that people fail in. They feel that because there is so much to do they need to cut back on sleep in order to get more time in their day. This is a never-ending devil's circle because the less sleep we have the more tired we are and the less able to cope and then the more stress we feel.

Dealing with stress does not depend on the quantity of time we have but on the quality. If we are well rested we are clear headed and able to come up with solutions to our problems. If we are overtired we will accomplish little and keep going in circles.

Try and find a balance in your sleep cycle. Go to bed the same time each night and get yourself into a routine that your body can count on.

So rule #1 Get more sleep.

Rule #2 Eat a balanced diet.

What does diet have to do with stress? Everything! Our bodies need to run as a well tuned engine. If we feed it crap you will feel like crap. You need a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables and lots of water to keep running well.



Rule #3 Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is the biggest stress producer. If you don't have time to tackle your problems all at once at least put aside some time each day to work on a part of the problem. Take care of it in little chunks and before you know it the problem is gone.

A Mountain is moved one stone at a time. Start moving your stones and you'll get rid of your mountain.

Rule #4 Manage Your Time Effectively

Just like money, time also must be budgeted. You only have so many hours in a day and they must be used judiciously. Balance here is the key. Make sure to take some time to work, deal with problems and relax.

You must be sure to include relaxation time for yourself, even if it is only 15 minutes a day. Add it to your schedule and make sure you take this time for yourself. Even if you must go to your room and lock the door to get it, be sure to do it.

There are many things you can do to relax and get your mind at ease. Simple things such as a walk outside can help restore frazzled nerves and give you time to reflect on your life. Other choices would be a nice, warm bath, or a quiet spot where you can meditate.

Mediation does not have to be anything grand or complicated. Just find some quiet time and let all cares out of your mind. Think of nothing for 15 minutes. I find it easier to imagine a black screen in front of me. Every time a thought comes through my mind I remind myself that I do not want to think right now. My black screen is on. Just do nothing, think nothing, be totally at peace for 15 minutes. It will do wonders for you. After you will find that you can think much more clearly. A quiet mind brings about answers that you would never usually think of.

Lastly, the effects stress will have on you is dependant upon the way you react to it. Stress is like the bully at school who keeps coming around to taunt you. You can let him have your candy or you can stand up and do something about it. The choice is yours.

May the Christmas season bring you peace.

God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

De-stress With a Spa-Adventure

Spas are a great way to relieve stress! Stressed out people are taking advantage of Spas in record numbers. More and more women, men and teens are prioritizing spa visits, making salons and spas among the trendiest hangouts to date. Why?

One, stress is one of the major causes of diseases like cancer and most other sicknesses. It has been proven that the benefits of a spa experience are very effective in reducing stress.

Second, where else can one feel pampered and beautiful at affordable prices? Most of all, they provide a fun way to just hang out with your friends and acquaintances.

A spa gives you an all-encompassing experience.

Depending on ones choice, it can be a great way to jumpstart a diet or make a major lifestyle change in a supportive environment. The relaxing atmospere of a spa experience has a very powerful healing effect on your body.

It used to be that spas were about relaxation, beauty and pampering. Now the new demand is for healing modalities- body therapies that focus on moving energy in the body.

Basic treatments at a spa may involve several things:

The most popular service and the best place to start is Therapeutic Massage. Massage has a number of health benefits.

The second most popular service is the European Facial. This involves skin analysis, deep cleansing, massage, and extraction. Body treatments are essentially facials for the whole body. The most popular body treatment is a salt glow or body scrub.

Hydrotherapy tubs, steambaths and saunas may be included in the array of utilities offered. Saunas are deeply relaxing and a great way to melt away stress. They are valuable in stimulating circulation, improving the elimination of waste products through the skin.<




Many spas offer manicures and pedicures, and spa/salons offer hair cutting and styling services. Some spas offer a wide selection of exercise and outdoor activities to choose from. Even an exercise as simple as walking will make and keep our bodies fit. Our bodies can only function if the body structure is sound and our blood is pure. Spas continue to be considered a sanctuary from stress.


TIPS:

    * Always check to see what's included. Meals? Treatments? Tax? Service fees? And some resort spas even charge extra for yoga or aerobic classes.
    * Tips of 15-20% are typical at day spas. The therapist gets just 40% to 50% of the fee for the service at most, so they rely on tips.
    * Destination and resort spas often charge a service fee of 15-20%, but they keep most of that-sometimes all of it-themselves. So if you really appreciated your service, tips are appreciated if not expected.

    * Best Spa-Bargains is that you can save by traveling off-season. In the Northeast, rates are lower in the winter, higher in the summer. It's the reverse in the Southwest and Florida.

    * Plan your stay during the week rather than on weekends. A Thursday night arrival will cost more than a Sunday night arrival.
    * Look for special bring-a-friend programs. You can also make the most of your time by arriving early in the morning on your first day and leaving late your last day.



Last but not least is to simply enjoy!

Boundaries And Addictions

Many of us have experienced difficult relationships with someone or with several people who have been addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or some other unhealthy pursuit. How might we deal with these difficult relationships, recognize them early, and prevent such relationships in the future?

My own dear mother was unfortunately alcoholic. One day I realized something vitally important:

Just because you love someone, doesn't mean it is healthy to be near them.

It is tremendously useful in life to learn to separate your feelings for someone, with your understanding of what is, or is not, healthy for you to be around. We need both love (or at least like) and a healthy dynamics for a relationship to continue. If both are not present, then the relationship can make you terribly unhappy, or even destroy your health, confidence, and safety.

Ironically, it is also better for them also, to separate if they will not work on controlling their addiction. Maintaining the relationship while they their addiction runs unchecked, encourages their addiction to continue. It is not a significant consequence for them to argue with them about their addiction, for they can remain addicted and behave badly, and still have their relationship with you. You might even be helping to support them, so why should they stop? It is an addiction, so it is powerful.

If you have been in a relationship with someone who is addicted, it would be very helpful to you to decide on your personal boundaries now, so that you can address the matter with a clear head if it comes up again.



Here are some suggestions for behavior that is not acceptable in your relationships:

• If they borrow money from you to pay for their addiction, or borrow money from you to pay for their needs because they spent their own money on their addiction.

• If their addiction prevents them from supporting themselves financially.

• Lying in any way, to cover up the truth of their activities.

• Being cruel or violent to you in any way, while they are inebriated or sober.

• Causing you damage to property or loss of reputation.

• Long absences or causing you great worry.

• Putting lives at risk by drinking and driving.

If you find yourself in a situation where your partner, family member, or friend is addicted, address it immediately. For best success, don't allow it to continue as it is.

You need to give an ultimatum with consequences. I highly recommend that you tell them that they must participate in an organized help program for their addiction, or you will cease all support, end your relationship with them until they have control over their addiction, and you will not live with them. If you can, organize other loved ones to give the same message at the same time, for it will be more effective.

These are very difficult situations, but remember two things: You will be helping both yourself and them if you take care of your own emotional and safety needs, and, just because you love someone, doesn't mean it is healthy to be with them. While they are addicted, love them from afar.

Tips For Hair Loss Help

Hair loss is usually a traumatic experience for someone who values a full head of hair. A number of different psychology elements are at play here. These range from coping with a noticeable change in appearance, dealing with the aging process, and handling self image issues due to the loss of hair.

Loss of hair can be caused by many different factors. Even though it is a studied field of human biology, scientists still do not have all the answers for hair loss and they do not have the means to successfully prevent it.

Every person loses hair every single day of their lives.

This is not a big deal for most people because the hairs that fall out are replaced by new hair growth.

People who do not experience this new hair growth need hair loss help.

The first bit of hair loss help is the good news that sometimes hairs do grow back. This is true for people who experience a medical or a chemical suppressant of hair growth. People who have certain illnesses and people who undergo chemotherapy often grow their hair back when these conditions or treatments are terminated.

The next bit of hair loss help is the good news that there are remedies available for people who do not experience natural hair regrowth.

Falling under the cosmetic category, one finds many hair loss drugs on the chemical side of the treatment spectrum, as well as herbs for hair loss on the natural or organic side of the hair loss treatment spectrum.




On the very serious side of hair loss help one can find complete hair transplants. With this type of treatment hair is implanted into the skin on the skull to cover up the bald spots.

People who have, without success, tried drugs or herbs for hair loss and do not want the hair transplant option often resort to two different solutions to cover their baldness.

The first method many people use is called the "comb over". This is a remedy where the remaining hair is left to grow long enough so that it can be combed over the bald area to cover it.

The second method is wearing a wig or a toupee. A wig with naturally looking hair can be a very expensive item with prices into the thousands of dollars.

To some people, hair and hairstyle form an essential element of what they define as their beauty or their attractiveness. Hair loss changes their appearance and most people hate that. When hair loss visits you, you either have to consider one or more of the hair loss help items mentioned above, or you have to learn to love the new you.