Creativity As a Key to Success: Cultivating and Tapping Into the Spirit Within

I believe that creativity is an attribute that many leaders desire, fewer leaders believe they have, and in reality, even fewer leaders exercise in practice. Creativity, as an intentional process that can lead to doing or producing new things and current things differently in the future, is a key ingredient to success. Moreover, I believe that each of us has an outlet for creativity to come to life, kindle, and burn.

The brilliance in the documented history of society's geniuses is found at the crossroads of the art and science of the phenomenon in which they are studying. The fact that the boundary pushers and creative destroyers of our past and present have been equally concerned with the art and science of the problem they are addressing demonstrates their seemingly innate appreciation and comfort with the unknown.

For example, on their pursuit of man-powered flight, the Wright brothers spent as much time studying books on ornithology (the scientific and empirical study of birds) and observing soaring birds as they did studying texts on aviation, mechanical engineering, and man-powered flight. Moreover, it was their obsession with and courage to invest their time observing soaring birds in flight that inspired them to develop the core element associated with their 1903 flier's success - the patented hip cradle system. Simply stated, the hip cradle system provided the opportunity for the pilot to literally roll left and right and by doing so flexing the tips of the left and right (top and bottom) wings of the flier in order to respond to the ever-changing winds and unpredictable drafts (McCullough, 2015).

This changed the game of man-powered flight and was directly inspired by their observation of soaring birds (e.g., eagles, buzzards, falcons, sea gulls, etc.). In turn, this informed the way they designed their flier and reframed their appreciation for flexibility in their approach and in their actual design (McCullough, 2015). Finally, it was their commitment to respecting and taking pause at the crossroads between the art and science of their field that led to their world changing ideas. To think that the key to understanding a fundamental aspect of man-powered flight had always been there for all aviators and innovators to observe and re-engineer is both confounding and inspiring.

As we begin to think practically about what this means to us as creators, innovators, and ideators it is important to consider where we might start. For me, the creative process follows these five practical, applicable, and transferable steps:

1. Stop and observe the world within your immediate surroundings around you with a heightened sense of awareness. This can include asking questions, making observations, and reviewing artifacts in order to inform, complement, or contrast with what you think about the world. Lead with the question: what do I care enough about to do something about in this world?

2. Intentionally decide to find comfort in and understand the borders and ambiguity of a blank canvas. Lead with the question: how have my observations shaped or framed the way I view this particular challenge or topic?

3. Adopting and applying divergent thought practices to generate ideas by exploring various explanations and opportunities in a free-flowing, deviating manner (e.g., list concepts, ideas, and responses). Lead with the question: in what theoretical ways can we address this topic?

4. Adopting and applying convergent thought practices to refine ideas from a free-flowing divergent exploratory process into the criteria-driven narrowing and joining of ideas to address a challenge or topic. Lead with the question: of the ideas or responses generated, which seem to fit and directly support the challenge or topic being addressed?

5. Post-convergence, develop a plan that includes a simple project statement, which includes scope, schedule, and resources needed. Lead with the question: now that I have an idea how will I pursue and achieve it?

Perhaps most important is that each of us, as leaders - not as human beings - realize that we have access to reservoirs of creativity and innovation. It is up to us to find ways to tap into that creativity and convert it into transformational initiatives. Go for it, find yourself, tap into your creativity, and transform the world you live in for the better!

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Principles of Performance

I have written several articles that cover the principles of self-development. I am a true believer that self-development is the key to success. Much of success is about taking action. In many cases, principles of performance have a lot to do with what you do and what you are able to encourage others to do. There are many principles that I use on a constant basis and will continue to use them until they are no longer effective. The number one principle that should be addressed if you are wanting to be successful would be to focus, focus, focus. Most people lose their focus and that is why they are not able to complete anything they pursue.

I am a true believer that for anyone to be successful they need to have the right attitude. A negative attitude has never gotten anyone anywhere but rejected and left out. Expect positive things to happen in your life when your attitude is positive. What you put out is what you get back in most cases. It's like looking in a mirror. Your attitude determines your altitude.

Now, the attitude I am writing about is not falsely manufactured to impress or manipulate others. The attitude that I am addressing would be a true positive attitude that resides deep down inside your soul. The positive attitude I am talking about would be the attitude that oozes from your pores when you wake-up in the morning and stays with you all day long. You know the attitude I am talking about; the attitude that is part of who you are at your core.

If you have a bad attitude, this would be a reflection of who you are inside your soul. If you want to change your attitude, you would first have to change what resides deep down in your soul. If your soul is battered, tattered, and torn, you may want to ask the Lord for His assistance. He can heal a broken soul only if you allow Him to. You will want to ask for an Attitude that can support love, kindness, joy, goodness, and corrective discipline. When you are truly thankful and grateful you will find that a positive attitude will flow from you. And I promise you that it will be noticed by everyone you encounter.

Here is a pet-peeve that drives me nuts. People that make promises and don't keep them. Far too many people make promises they can't keep. They may have good intentions when making a promise, but they don't realize by making a promise that they don't keep taints who they are. No matter what happens in your life your words will stand the test of time. People can take all physical possessions from you, but they can't take your knowledge or your word from you. If your word means nothing, you are nothing. No one will take you seriously. If you do make a promise, you will want to make a plan to fulfill it. If you make a future commitment, you must grasp how important it is to follow through with your promise. You should be willing to do whatever it takes to complete your obligation. The reason why so many relationships fail would be due to all parties involved not understanding what it takes to have a wonderful relationship. They do not plan for or understand the sacrifices each must make for the relationship to flourish and work.

Let me bring up something positive to share with you. In general, we usually get from others and ourselves what we expect. The law of expectancy is very powerful. If you don't know what you want, 99.9% of the time you will never obtain it. You must take aim at what you want if you expect to hit your target. Blind men and women don't make good knife throwers. I'm sure you would agree. A very successful friend of mine shared this with me; "you will either live up to your expectations or fall short of them. If you expect nothing, you usually end up with nothing. You should know that something from nothing leaves nothing. If you expect to be mediocre then don't expect anything more than average. If you expect to feel bad, you will feel bad. It is a fact that you are what you think about all the time. So, with that being said, if you expect to feel wonderful there will be nothing standing in your way of feeling that way. And always know that if it is possible for you to feel that way, it is also possible for others to feel that way.

The difference between mediocre employees and exceptional employees would be the training they receive. The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is to not train them and keep them. That sounds like an axiom I heard many years ago; "what is worse than a person that can't read, that would be a person that can read and won't." When you think of training as practice and preparation, it makes you wonder how people survive that do not practice and prepare. It is a must that people invest in themselves. In essence, people that do not prepare and invest in their ability don't make the grade. If you want to improve and move from good to excellent, you will want to adopt a rigorous training program and stick to it.

Finally, you will want to seek out what you want in life. If you look for the good things in life, you will find them. If you look for opportunities to prosper and grow from, you will find them. If you look for positive and insightful people that will support you and push you to be your best, you will find them. Then again, if you look for ways to swindle and cheat, you will end up doing just that. If you look for ways to justify leaving your spouse, you will find them. If you look for reasons to hate another, you will find them. It is natural for us to justify what we need or want. If you are not living by lawful standards of integrity, honesty, loyalty, love, and faith, you will be drawn to selfish indulgence, and that leads to misery and unfulfilled dreams. Whatever you have will never be enough. Always look for the good and for ways to help others and you will see that positive things will come from such acts.

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This Is Why You Can Fail In Life And Still End Up Where You Need To Be

The Roadmap To Victory

You can fail in life and end up where you need to be because failure is not permanent - giving up is.

Countless articles are sprawled across the internet, advocating the key to success. However, the conversation around failure is less prominent.

If there's one thing I've learned it's this: failure is not as disastrous as people believe it to be.

Thomas Edison once said: "Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure."

It may seem negative at first. Yet, if you move past the fears, failure is nothing more than a signpost guiding you in the right direction.

You might try assigning a human quality to failure, to relate to it better. Don't see it as a force outside you inhibiting success, but as an integral part of your psyche leaving clues towards success.

Renowned author Elizabeth Gilbert writes in Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear: "You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures."

We are not entrusted with a road map marking our way through life, so we're left to make it up as we go along. For this reason, be compassionate with yourself since you don't have all the answers at your disposal.

Think of failure as being blindfolded in a maze and asked to find your way out. To find the exit, you must take the wrong turns to gain insight on the direct passage out.

Your failures (taking the wrong turns) become the roadmap to victory (finding the exit).

Life functions in the same respect, in so far as the key to success is contained within your mistakes.

Success Lessons

Some people recover from failures quicker than others, but it is the lessons gained from the experience that is paramount.

"Serial winners bounce back, move on, and win anyway. And they do it through action," affirms Larry Weidel in Serial Winner: 5 Actions to Create Your Cycle of Success.

Failure sharpens the saw of the human will and endows us with determination.

I attended a mastermind group for several years where it was restated that we should fail often and fail fast. The significance is to speed the rate at which you fail and learn from the lessons.

You can fail in life and still end up where you need to be because failures are pivotal moments in your success journey. Whilst it may not appear that way, it is because you're invested in your life story.

A mentor is helpful to guide you through your failures than if you were to go it alone.

Author Jeff Olson's writes in The Slight Edge: "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. 'Progressive' means success is a process, not a destination. It's something you experience gradually, over time. Failure is also just as gradual. In fact, the difference between success and failure is so subtle, you can't even see it or recognize it during the process. And here's how real success is built: by the time you get the feedback, the real work's already done."

What you consider failure, others see as vital success lessons. You can reframe failure as learning aids through repeated setbacks.

Consider it as a letting go moment. Just as you no longer play with your childhood toys since you have outgrown them, your relationship with failure ought to be the same.

Many people don't succeed because they associate failure with their self-worth and never try again.

The point worth highlighting is to outgrow your negative association to failure, so it doesn't impact your self-worth.

"I learned then that there is a difference between failing and failure. Failing is trying something that you learn doesn't work. Failure is throwing in the towel and giving up. I refused to be a failure. As Winston Churchill once said, "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm," writes author Jay Samit in Disrupt Yourself.

Success is a Destination

Many people equate success with frequent wins and fewer setbacks. The reality is, more defeats lead to success if the individual is willing to learn from the setbacks.

For example, you can be rejected by nine out of ten record labels but if you are a musician you can still be remarkably successful with the one offer.

Authors Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske remind us in The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success: "Winners reframe failures so that they work to their advantage and recognize that when things don't go according to plan the journey isn't necessarily over - and in fact failure is often a new opportunity in disguise."

There's a meme that gets shared on social media depicting what we imagine success to be and its corresponding associations.

It highlights why it's important to develop a new framework around failure, if you wish to succeed.

Failure invigorates the human spirit or delivers a crushing blow to person's self-worth. Either way, it governs whether the individual has what it takes to find a way through their challenges.

The saying 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth' applies to failure. For it was the American motivational speaker Jim Rohn who once quipped: "Success leaves clues."

In a similar vein, the late Hungarian mathematician Farkas Bolyai wrote: "When the time is ripe for certain things, they appear at different places, in the manner of violets coming to light in early spring."

Knowing this, reframe your perception of failure as a signpost leading you closer to a prosperous future.

As long as you don't give up, success is a destination you will reach if you are firm in your determination, like a train bound to its tracks.

After all, failure is life's way of nudging you back on track, to reach your destination when the time is right - as long as you stay on course and never give up.

http://ezinearticles.com/?This-Is-Why-You-Can-Fail-In-Life-And-Still-End-Up-Where-You-Need-To-Be&id=9736248

Your Key to Success, and How to Reach Your Goals

It is so easy to feel weighed down by concerns, worries, fears for the future, or sad because relationships are strained, uneasy, or you always seem to say the wrong thing.

To get out of this groove and way of thinking can take some effort.

Thought is energy and emanates out from us like radio waves, therefore feeling sad or negative doesn't help the situation. Turning your thoughts or attitude around, can send out positive vibrations which has the knock-on effect of improving conditions.

So, whatever can help to make you feel more relaxed and happy, sends out that thought energy, which you can also project into the future, influencing future situations or relationships for the better. Your health and well-being will improve.

Situations, or people, that have upset you in the past can be wearing you down now, and preventing you from enjoying the good things in life NOW.

You cannot alter the past, but you can learn to accept what has occurred, or whatever has been said to hurt you, and leave the past where it is, in the past! Use the situation to project you towards a better future.

Visualizations, or using positive imaginations, can be a really useful too visualizing positive future situations or relationships are a great help as it is promoting positive vibrations.

Positive visualization, or imagination can affect you memory, helping you to feel more peaceful and more in control of any hurt or anxiety, instead of IT controlling YOU!

"Think happy and you'll be happy" was a phrase used by Evadne Price many years ago and is still true today.

Therefore also, think successful and you'll be successful. Successful people believe in their abilities, with confidence, it is their key to success. Therefore thinking this way can be YOUR secret to success.

How many times have you lain awake at night with everything going around and around in your mind, which prevents you from sleeping? Getting a good nights sleep helps you to cope with all you need to do. So promoting a good nights sleep by learning to let go of worries and concerns enables your mind to be more peaceful, able to relax and drift off to sleep, waking refreshed for the next day.

Your body is able to heal whilst you are asleep, so sleep is essential. If you are lying awake and tense, your body is not able to renew itself. You need to be able to look after your body and your mind to be physically and mentally healthy, in order to be at your best. After good sleep, being active and eating well maintains your well-being.

Feeling rested, calm, healthy and positive is how to reach your goals. If you feel tired, lacking energy and hope, you will feel you can't achieve anything.

"You are what you eat" is another good phrase worthy of consideration.

Being anxious about money, as we all are at various times of our lives, isn't helpful, because being anxious tends to prevent us from seeing any opportunities that may be occurring in order for us to improve our wealth. Think of ways to increase your income, sell unwanted items, look how to make money on-line.

Wealth can come to you in various ways and forms. One small step or one small "something" can lead to another. Glass half empty or half full? Be positive about everything you actually have even a small amount of money, or something that makes you happy, however small, is valuable.

Human beings have creative minds, which are capable of creating in many ways, and we are all different. Find ways to tap into your own creativity to boost your self-esteem.

With a calm, clear, uncluttered mind, ideas can pop into your head that you can use. Maybe you may think that you can do something in a better way, or something can be improved on or be more efficient, by making an adjustment.

Do not doubt yourself or your abilities, do not criticise yourself or be envious of others. What is self-esteem? It is when you feel confidence in yourself, respect yourself and have pride in your own abilities, using your own unique qualities.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Key-to-Success,-and-How-to-Reach-Your-Goals&id=9745329

Why an Indomitable Will Is the Key to Success

The Power of Resilience

A young man asked Socrates what the key to success was. So he invited him to meet at the river the following morning.

There, he asked the young man to walk into the river with him.

As the water made its way up to their necks, Socrates suddenly ducked him into the water. He struggled furiously, but Socrates kept him under until he turned blue in the face.

The young man struggled to free himself but finally came up, gasping for air.

"What did you want most when you were under water?" asked Socrates.

"Air," the man replied.

"That's the most important key to success. Wanting it as much as you want air. For only then will it be yours."

This delightful tale underscores the message that success emanates from strong desire and inspired action.

Success is a tough game because we assume it is linear. However, in real life it involves setbacks, failures, detours and minor victories.

But the failures and setbacks deter people from realising their dreams.

Mental and emotional resilience is essential to overcome these obstacles.

"Resilience and Motivation are two of the critical abilities for which Winner's Brains are wired," state authors Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske in The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success.

Resilience is associated with the Navy Seals who undergo rigorous training known as BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) during their initiation. The training eliminates a large portion of candidates due to the mental, emotional and physical demands placed on new recruits.

It is this same resilience that must be summoned to chase your dreams.

You must develop an unquestionable will to succeed, no matter the setbacks that will arise.

A strong determination is fuelled by a powerful force encouraging you to endure in the face of setbacks.

I call it having a compelling Why?

Your Why is your motivation to succeed. It is the reason you rise above your challenges when it matters most.

I don't believe life tests us so much as it prepares us for what is to come.

"If you rise from a fall once, you become that much more confident you can rise again," affirms author Sam Weinman in Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains.

Obstacles force us to take massive action or regrettably, concede defeat.

It the same process the Navy Seals undergo. The commanding officers test their resolve to decide if the men can deal with dire conditions.

Life prepares you for success by forcing you to reach beyond your comfort zone.

It poses challenges to nurture your resilience, though you may realise at some point that the goal or dream is not what you really want.

Most people have dreams they aspire to, but few have the indomitable will to succeed in the face of obstacles.

Success Shapes Character

As the saying goes: to the victor go the spoils.

The human will compels you to persevere in the face of adversity.

It lights up the flame of your spirit and sends you forth to meet challenges armed with courage, strength and resilience.

Without these powers, you are at the mercy of conceding defeat because of weak motivation.

With a powerful will, there is determination and decisiveness to your actions. You are resolute, firm and compelled to overcome life's obstacles, knowing they are placed in your path to nourish you.

"It's not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us," avows the late author Stephen R. Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

You should avoid short term disappointments and smaller prizes to achieve your long-term goals.

It is said success is a journey not a destination. Whilst an overused cliché, there is merit to its meaning.

Without setbacks and failures, you are unable to develop the fortitude and strength to meet your dreams when they arrive.

Success shapes a person's character. It sharpens the saw as Stephen R. Covey states.

Therefore, connect with a powerful Why and nurture it if you wish to succeed. I assure you, when the time is right you will be greeted with the finest victory imaginable.

Remember: what you seek is seeking you, as long as you stay committed to the path.

The will to succeed is apparent when you face your challenges and setbacks. No one grows in perfect conditions. In moments of darkness, you either rise above your impediments or cower in defeat.

The American New Thought author, Napoleon Hill, writes in The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons: "Until a man selects a definite purpose in life he dissipates his energies and spreads his thoughts over so many subjects and in so many different directions that they lead not to power, but to indecision and weakness."

An Optimistic Outlook

Success coaches refer to will as grit: the inner resolve, courage and strength of character to persist through adversity.

To develop an indomitable will and harness an optimistic outlook, irrespective of what transpires. Optimism is an inner knowing that conditions will turn out for the best regardless of what lays ahead.

Similarly, develop a powerful will through your accomplishments and seeing the process through to completion.

I'm reminded of the story author Napoleon Hill tells of a prospector who spent months digging for gold, before giving up and selling his equipment to a junk man. The junk man made millions soon after discovering a trace of gold less than a metre from where the prospector had stopped digging.

An indomitable will is essential for success otherwise you succumb to the pressures of life. The will lights the flame of hope and courage and encourages progress.

It is the American author and speaker John C. Maxwell who captured it perfectly in his book The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset: "Most people want to change the world to improve their lives, but the world they need to change first is the one inside themselves."

So, do not wish for better conditions or an easier path because you will become listless and discouraged.

Persevere and endure your challenges.

It would be remiss of me to come this far and not mention Professor of Psychology Carol Dweck who states in Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential: "The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it's not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset."

An indomitable will to succeed will lead you far in your journey of self-discovery.

The desire must emerge from within and be matched with the same need for air, as told in the opening tale.

Only then will you realise the narrative of your success story is far greater than you ever imagined.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-an-Indomitable-Will-Is-the-Key-to-Success&id=9640191

7 Ways To Beat Procrastination And Start Taking Action Today!

We all struggle with distraction, interruptions and ADD.

With the advent of the Internet, smartphones, and Wi-Fi, low productivity has become one of the most prevalent diseases across the globe. It will be a long battle to regain our attention control, and I recommend you to take baby steps during the process.

Below are 7 simple ways to help you beat procrastination so you finally take action on the goals you have set.

#1 No More "Someday I will... "

Recognize that the best time to take action is 10 years ago, the next best time is now.

Stop living in the delusion that you have millions days in the future to pursue something your heart desires.

If there's something that you really want to do - whether it's to start a blog teaching people your cooking expertise, or making the phone call and ask your crush out, or giving a surprise visit to your parents whom you haven't seen for a year - you've got to plan when you are going to do it.

Time doesn't wait.

According to Bronnie Ware, author of the bestselling book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, the number one thing people regret is that "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."

Procrastination may be a short-term relief, but it's not going to get you anywhere.

Choose the pain of discipline over the pain of regret.

#2 Take Massive Imperfect Courageous Action

Forget about perfectionism, just aim for the "85% good enough" standard and get it out there.

Your life-changing products or services aren't going to change a single life until you push it out to the market.

Your relentless studying and reading won't do humanity any good until you go out and implement the wisdom.

Your genius ideas aren't going to turn into a billion dollar business until you pitch it in the Shark Tank.

The key to success, especially entrepreneurial success, is your speed of execution.

Results come from nothing but massive imperfect courageous actions, not affirmations, visualizations or meditations.

#3 Action Leads To Motivation

Do you think you need motivation first before you can take action?

Do you believe you need to wait for the "perfect moment or timing" before you can take action?

Do you trust yourself that you are good enough to at least start taking action?

In the self-help world, many people fall into the thinking trap that they need to "prepare more" before they can really initiate the task they want, whether it's about starting a conversation with a lady, starting an online business, or starting to workout.

Sadly, these preparations often become excuses for them not to take action.

The truth is motivation comes when you take that scary action.

If you're willing to force yourself to "do that thing" for just 5 minutes, you'll be surprised that action is easier than you thought and you'll be motivated to continue taking action and make some real progress.

#4 Plan Your Day The Night Before

You never want to wake up not knowing exactly how the next 16 hours will be.

Planning should always happen the night before, so that the moment you open your eyes, you are in automation mode and you don't need to spend extra thoughts to craft out your day.

Before you know it, you're already spending your first 2 hours doing the one big thing of the day that will yield you 80% of the progress.

#5 Stop Multitasking

Science has proven that our brain is incapable of multitasking.

All we are doing is reacting to that stimulus, switching our attention to a different task, finishing the unimportant stuff, coming back to the original task having no idea where we are at, spending extra time & energy to get back into flow.

CNN World has reported that switching tasks make you dumber than being stoned, because our IQ drops by 10 points when we switch tasks while our IQ drops by 5 points when we smoke marijuana.

Don't want to be an idiot?

Time to cut off all the emails, phone calls, Facebook, app notifications, news updates, or chit-chat with your colleagues while you work!

#6 Chunk Things Into Baby Steps

I am annoyed by this cliché but it's true: You eat an elephant one bite at a time.

One main reason we procrastinate is because we feel it's too difficult, too long and too much to do it.

Big goals are fantastic, but when it comes to action, you want to make them seem as easy as possible.

So chunk them into mini segments so that the pleasure of completion outweighs the pain of taking action.

#7 Reward & Celebrate

Nothing pisses your brain off more than enduring some painful discipline for a long time and not getting rewarded at the end of the process!

You've got to reward yourself kindly at the end so that you anchor massive pleasure to the beautiful moment of task completion.

Pet yourself on the back so that when you start another boring, mundane, yet significant campaign, you can motivate yourself to finish it as soon as possible and arrive at the end of the pleasurable tunnel!

I'm going to reward myself now, how about you?

http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Ways-To-Beat-Procrastination-And-Start-Taking-Action-Today!&id=9486485

5 Weird Environmental Hacks That Increases Your Productivity

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.

Similarly, before you dive in to your daily work routine, isn't it wise to make sure everything in your environment is supporting you?

Below are 5 weird little environment hacks that most people ignore when it comes to increasing their productivity, do not overlook them.

Hack #1 Ergonomic Desk, Keyboard and Chair

Not sure what "ergonomic" means?

Well, ergonomics is the scientific study that concerns the understanding of human body structure and how we can apply this physical mechanics into designing products that optimize human wellbeing and performance.

While this is not a new discipline of work, there are plenty of ergonomic office chairs, desks and keyboards that aim to provide as much comfort your body needs to work efficiently.

For example, do you have a comfortable cushion that supports your back? Does your chair contain a nice arm rest on the side? How are you placing your mouse and keyboard on your desk? Are your computer monitors adjustable to fit your eye level?

Make sure these money-making tools are supporting your health as well.

Hack #2 Standing Desk (My Favorite)

What's more important than a nice chair is the ability to stand while you work.

For the past few decades, we've shifted from being industrial revolution factory slaves to office-in-a-box slaves.

Our bodies are designed to move, not to remain sedentary. While it may be difficult to incorporate a standing treadmill desk, having an option to stand while you work is definitely something you should do.

My father is a brilliant DIY guy and right now I'm using his craft to deliver value to the world. I can't explain how much more energy I generate (especially after lunch) than sitting on a chair all day long and suffering from some butt hurt...

So a standing desk is definitely one of my top picks to invest in!

Hack #3 Proper Lighting

Simply put, dim lights strain your eyes and they will make you headache and tired. However, an overtly bright artificial light can also hurt your eyes and generates much discomfort.

So the best thing you can do is to combine artificial light with natural light.

Natural light can enhance your mood and it gives you an opportunity to look outside and relax your eyes.

While I'm not an ophthalmologist, I do recommend you checking out LED and incandescent light bulbs as they don't emit light in the UV range so they pose less risk. However, you should avoid fluorescent bulbs as it was reported that they might emit invisible UV light.

Hack #4 Quiet Room

Such a simple productivity trick but often got ignored; you want to find a quiet corner when you work!

Preventing any potential distraction is the first thing you should do to increase your productivity.

So close your doors, put on a headset if you need, and get focused.

Hack #5 Clean Desk, or Not?

Kathleen Vohs' research, as reference in Psychological Science, shows that an organized desk promotes making healthier choices while a messy desk leads to more creativity.

So unless your work requires you to be a creative genius, you normally want to organize your documents, papers, files and stuff nicely to avoid wasting time locating them.

However, when it comes to brainstorming, creating, designing, maybe it's good to throw papers around and bounce your ideas across the room!

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Weird-Environmental-Hacks-That-Increases-Your-Productivity&id=9500602

Discover How Innovation and Brain Power Is the Key to Success

The last article that I have written about innovation is the key to success; there was a paragraph in which I have mentioned how powerful the brain is when it comes to writing your ideas, to make your innovation a reality, in a notebook or journal.

Today, I am going to focus on the power of the brain and how you can use it to make your dreams or innovations come true.

In Biology, Psychology, or Anatomy classes, we learn that there are 2 main functions of the brain; they are called the Conscious and Subconscious. These 2 parts of our brain play an important role in everyday life. Some of you may think, "What has this got to do with innovation?" I will explain it to you.

The Subconscious Mind

For a building to exist, it is drawn up on a mental blueprint. The builder(s) have to visualize in their minds what the building is going to look like, how to tall it will be, and the materials that will be used before a physical blueprint is made.

For my readers, those who want to achieve success through innovation, I want you to draw a mental blueprint in your mind of who you want to be in the near future and figure out what it will take to make your dreams a reality. In this part of the exercise, do not write anything down as I will continue to discuss the importance of the subconscious mind, so that you can get a clear understanding of what I am talking about.

This part of your brain is where your dreams are active (awake and asleep) and where memories are stored.

1. Dreams. The innovations that we have today started out with dreams. The great Mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, wrote his dreams down; many of which solved the riddles of Math and Physics. Your dreams play a vital role in starting your own innovation, so pay close attention to what dreams you have and see which ones are vital to your personal success.

2. Memories. There are many articles that I have written where I have used past memories and experiences and shared them with the world of how to become a better affiliate marketer. You wouldn't believe how many people have benefited from this as they have shared my articles on their websites or blogs.

Memorize important formulas or word definitions. I am sure that Mr. Ramanujan have memorized many Math formulas throughout his lifetime that led him to discover new formulas through his dreams. Memorizing important items will help you succeed on tests or discovering new ways to run a better business.

The Conscious Mind

If the Subconscious is the root of the tree, then the conscious mind is the main tree; it is the growth or the action part of the mind. It is where you make your dreams a reality!

1. Dreams. If you have a dream that is important to your innovation, write it down immediately in a notebook or journal; this means jumping out of bed in the middle of the night. If you are writing a book, dreams are a great to get started; you will visit worlds beyond your imagination and engage in an adventure that you will never forget.

2. Memorization. It is important to write in a journal everyday so that you can recall important events that have happened in your past. Who knows, you can create important tips in your next article or innovation that will help someone who is looking for answers to their question.

In conclusion, never neglect the power of your mind; it is the key to achieving personal and financial success. In your mind, innovation is born; start working on yours today!

If you are struggling to find success in life or you want to overcome a personal problem, click here now to obtain the tools in the personal development industry and watch free, self-improvement videos to help combat trials and self-defeat by re-installing the success software for your brain.

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Innovation Is the Key to Success

Innovation is the key to success and is a powerful weapon to have when you are traveling the road to success. Innovation does not belong to the rich or powerful, it belongs to everyone that lives today! Facebook, Amazon, and Apple started out as a dream from ordinary people. The same can be said about you, the reader; you have that potential to be someone great in your personal or business life.

It takes practice on your skill or niche to overcome any obstacle that you will face on your journey towards success. This article will give the mental software to reprogram your brain for success by being innovative in your personal or business life.

1. If you have an innovative idea, keep it to yourself. You have to protect your dream at all cost! Sharing your dream or idea will only lead to criticism and theft. Those people who have stolen your dream will claim all the credit, leaving you in the dark.

2. Achieving success for your innovation requires that you spend a great deal of time making your dream a reality. Organize your daily schedule where you can find the time to work on your dream. If you have a day job, you can plan a time before, during, or after work in which you can start working on your innovation.

3. If you are having trouble thinking up of an original idea for your project, get up and move around to get the blood flowing to your brain. As I was writing this article, I had to get up and move around for a couple of minutes to think of original ideas for this article; as many of you can tell, writing articles is my innovation.

4. Don't be afraid to write your dreams or ideas in a journal or notebook. It will surprise you to see how powerful your brain is when you use it as you are jotting down your innovation. This is how ordinary people become successful in life.

5. People love to hear or read ideas that are unique and original. Take the time to look at the great works of famous artists. No 2 paintings are the same; each one is different and tells a story that will capture the attention of the audience. For example, I have six children that are growing up too fast; each day they leave a huge mess for me to clean up. One day, I was searching the internet on how to quickly get a house cleaned up. Website after website, I was reading the same old stuff that I learned as a kid until I came across a YouTube video that showed one technique that I have never heard of before; the result was a clean house in 20 mins!

6. As an expert article writer, with many of my articles being used on many high-ranking websites, all I needed was a computer, internet connection, and the desire to succeed. You will only need the basic tools to make your dream a reality. If your innovation is to write a book, all that you need is a piece of paper and a plain pen or pencil. If you are looking to start an affiliate marketing career, you will need a computer and an internet connection. If you want to become a great scientist or mathematician, start reading books and memorize the formulas.

In conclusion, you can see why innovation is the key to success. It will lead to personal and financial wealth.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Innovation-Is-the-Key-to-Success&id=9236285

Why Is Focus a Key to Being Successful?

We no more have the luxury of choosing one thing from a long list of things that need our attention and just concentrate on that while ignoring everything else. In today's time we have to multi-task. Only when we give equal, and sometimes simultaneous attention to things can they be done in time to meet the deadlines.

Multi-tasking can lead to two obvious results- you either make a mess of everything or you don't. It's really that simple. If you have no order, in what could seem like a chaos to others, you can easily get lost. By not having a timetable where you spend some time doing a little bit of everything you might end up doing more than two things at the same time and destroying everything. What is really important, rather a basic necessity in handling all your daily tasks is focus.

Say for example you have to do laundry, cook food, clean your house and attend to an office project. When you allot some time to all your tasks you must refrain from mixing it all up. Even when you're sitting with your project but thinking about what dinner to cook or what gifts to buy for a friend's birthday, you could end up compromising on your work at hand.

In fact, having to focus can mean something as simple as not checking your phone every five minutes when you're studying. If you are a student, these learning years build the foundation of your life. You are still a soft lump of mud and can shape yourself however you like. Focus is one of the most important qualities you must incorporate in life. It is the key to success. You will realise that if you don't get distracted by the television, cell phone, doorbell or any such things, you can finish the task at hand more quickly than you would if you're chatting with your friends.

A big advantage of focusing that you will experience is that it makes your thoughts flow very smoothly. When I am writing this piece right now, this is all I am concentrating on which is allowing me to channel my thoughts in a smooth manner. I have the option of watching a movie while working on this and I can tell myself that the movie is just for some background noise. But in reality half my attention is on the movie and I could end up taking twice as long in writing the same article.

When you're feeling ill doctors ask you to focus on getting better? Why do you think they do that? It is because when you focus on positivity and getting healthy again your body channels all its energy, nutrients and vitamins in fighting the illness and you can recover in no time.

We have seen so many benefits of focusing but we haven't explored the ways in which we can actually learn how to focus. Here are some quick and easy ways in which you can improve your power of focus-

• Concentrate on one thing at a time.

• Always know your priorities.

• Pick 2-3 important tasks every day.

• Stay away from distractors when you are working.

• Take breaks regularly to relax your mind and don't forget to give yourself some rewards

• Connect with people who fill your life with positivity, meaning and passion.

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Happiness: A Matter of Choice

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice. It doesn't really matter what type of circumstances we have in our life. We still have a choice to live an unhappy life or we can choose to live a happy life.

Our level of happiness has nothing to do with the things that other people say or do. Happiness is not something that we gain from the affirmation of others; rather it comes from within. It has something to do with our mindset. No matter how critical our situation is, we can still be happy.

Happiness is also an attitude of mind. We can start to be happy at any time we want. All we need to do is to make a decision. Once we decide to be a happy person, then we need to do whatever it takes to be happy because happiness is a journey.

If we choose to live a happy life, no matter what life can present to us, we have to stick to it. Once we have understood and accepted that happiness comes from within, it is not impossible to be happy even during the toughest of times of life because we already know how we should hold on to those good times by seeing the world in a different light.

Happiness relates to how we feel. We are emotional human beings. We experience a wide range of feelings on a daily basis. We feel fear and anger. We also feel positive emotions such as enjoyment and hope to help us build our capacity to cope when things go wrong.

Trying to live a happy life is not about denying negative emotions or pretending to feel joyful all the time. We have to embrace the fact that we all encounter adversity and it's completely natural for us to feel anger, sadness, frustration and other negative emotions as a result.

Happiness is not just about being able to cope the most of the good times but also to cope effectively with the inevitable bad times. Happiness is in fact a key to success because happy people are also less likely to engage in risky behavior. Happy people are even more financially responsible because they save more and have more control over their expenditures.

Happy people still get sick and lose loved ones. As a matter of fact, not all happy people are efficient, creative or generous. Happy people are less anxious, less depressed and less stressed. They are more optimistic and confident. They have a deeper sense of well-being, have more passion and zest for life, have a stronger sense of meaning and purpose and see the world as essentially a friendly place filled with good people and plenty of opportunity.

Happy people simply love and enjoy life much more than their sadder counterparts.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Happiness:-A-Matter-of-Choice&id=9443460

Motivation - How to Get Motivated and Stay That Way

Getting excited about something new is human nature. Starting a new job. Opening up a new business. A new relationship. Your first day of working out. Starting meal prep. Anything new is exciting until it's not new anymore. Once you learn all the nuances of your new job, it's not exciting anymore. There's nothing fun about losing money for a few months in your new business, in fact, it's discouraging. Discovering all of your significant other's annoying quirks may make you reconsider building the relationship. Getting up at 5:00 am to go to the gym after you've been up late taking care of your sick child is difficult. Pushing through and maintaining enthusiasm about whatever it is will keep you on track.

You've made the first step. You got started. Some don't even make it that far because of fear. Congratulate yourself for making it over that hurdle. Now you find that you aren't as excited as you were in the beginning. You aren't as productive. You don't greet your customers with as much bravado as before. How do you keep up that excitement of the "new"?

Look around. Take an inventory of your life. Losing steam is the first step toward giving up. If you give up you will never realize your goals. Remember all the people cheering you on. Remember everyone who invested in you. Be it time, money, or simply encouragement. Can you handle disappointing them all if you chose not to succeed? Success is a choice we make everyday. It doesn't just happen. We choose it.

It's easy to stay excited when things are going well. The key to success is to stay excited when things are difficult. Things happen. There will be bad days at work. You will miss deadlines. Promotions will pass you by. You will have difficulties with customers. You will argue with your spouse. You will miss days at the gym. You will feel the guilt of cheating your diet. You will get rejected and face an obstacle or even failure. Know that failures are temporary only when you keep moving and continue to take action.

Maintaining enthusiasm about your project is the key to making your dreams come true. Take action everyday as if it is your first day. Keep visual reminders of what you are working toward. Keep a daily routine that promotes positive thoughts. Doing these things will allow you to stay excited about everything even when things get tough.

Be enthusiastic everyday. Don't let obstacles discourage you. Just continue. Keep visual reminders of what the results of your actions can yield to stay excited. Choose excitement and you will stay excited.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Motivation---How-to-Get-Motivated-and-Stay-That-Way&id=9448161

5 Reasons Why People Fail To Achieve Their Goals

There are a lot of people that never achieve anything. Then there are those that fail to get past their initial attempts at gaining leverage in the goals that they have. Goal setting is an absolutely important thing in life. Without this, you'll find that you cannot go anywhere in life. Sure, there are some that seem to scrape by, but if you're honest with yourself, you'll find that this is an important aspect of your present, as well as your future. If you want to get ahead, consider the following 5 reasons why people fail to achieve their goals and learn from the mistakes of others.

1. They Don't Plan Ahead

First and foremost, people don't plan ahead. They simply jump into things and they expect ease from the outcome. There are also others that just assume that they know it all, so they go ahead and chase whatever the end result they assume will manifest. Without a plan, you're going to find failure hits you hard, and fast.

2. There Are No Milestones To Cross

When you're going forward in life, you need to have milestones. Otherwise, you are going to be chasing a marathon. Most people can't run a marathon. When runners go for this, they first train with milestones of endurance, then they go for the big one. No athlete in any sport starts with professional level focus. They work at it, setting milestones, and then crossing them over and over again to get to a new level.

3. They Quit Before Results Manifest

People quit nearly everything they try. The percentage of people that have failed at something can seem astronomical. You may be one of the millions that have faced off against this. The reason why many quit is not so much because they aren't trying, it's because they don't see results, so they just assume they're doing something wrong, or that it's not worth their time.

4. Quitting After One Failed Attempt

One and done. This is a process that happens a lot. Someone tries something, fails, and then they never try again. This is an awful thing to subscribe to. If you chase this, you are guaranteed never to get to a place of greatness. Simple as that. If you want to gain victory in anything you do, sometimes, you have to go beyond one failure, and even three or four failures.

5. No Support System In Place

Perhaps the biggest reason why people fail to achieve their goals, aside from not putting in the effort for goal setting, is their lack of support system. If you have no support system in place, you will not make it. Everyone needs encouragement, whether it's from a friend, spouse, or just about anyone in their life. Without a support system in place, you will not be able to gain traction in anything that you do.

As you can see, there are 5 things that can be isolated in regards to failure. To overcome, learn from these, and work towards goal setting, milestones, and keep pushing. The more you push, the more you'll learn, and that's the key to success.

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Reasons-Why-People-Fail-To-Achieve-Their-Goals&id=9297177

Innovation Is the Key to Success

Innovation is the key to success and is a powerful weapon to have when you are traveling the road to success. Innovation does not belong to the rich or powerful, it belongs to everyone that lives today! Facebook, Amazon, and Apple started out as a dream from ordinary people. The same can be said about you, the reader; you have that potential to be someone great in your personal or business life.

It takes practice on your skill or niche to overcome any obstacle that you will face on your journey towards success. This article will give the mental software to reprogram your brain for success by being innovative in your personal or business life.

1. If you have an innovative idea, keep it to yourself. You have to protect your dream at all cost! Sharing your dream or idea will only lead to criticism and theft. Those people who have stolen your dream will claim all the credit, leaving you in the dark.

2. Achieving success for your innovation requires that you spend a great deal of time making your dream a reality. Organize your daily schedule where you can find the time to work on your dream. If you have a day job, you can plan a time before, during, or after work in which you can start working on your innovation.

3. If you are having trouble thinking up of an original idea for your project, get up and move around to get the blood flowing to your brain. As I was writing this article, I had to get up and move around for a couple of minutes to think of original ideas for this article; as many of you can tell, writing articles is my innovation.

4. Don't be afraid to write your dreams or ideas in a journal or notebook. It will surprise you to see how powerful your brain is when you use it as you are jotting down your innovation. This is how ordinary people become successful in life.

5. People love to hear or read ideas that are unique and original. Take the time to look at the great works of famous artists. No 2 paintings are the same; each one is different and tells a story that will capture the attention of the audience. For example, I have six children that are growing up too fast; each day they leave a huge mess for me to clean up. One day, I was searching the internet on how to quickly get a house cleaned up. Website after website, I was reading the same old stuff that I learned as a kid until I came across a YouTube video that showed one technique that I have never heard of before; the result was a clean house in 20 mins!

6. As an expert article writer, with many of my articles being used on many high-ranking websites, all I needed was a computer, internet connection, and the desire to succeed. You will only need the basic tools to make your dream a reality. If your innovation is to write a book, all that you need is a piece of paper and a plain pen or pencil. If you are looking to start an affiliate marketing career, you will need a computer and an internet connection. If you want to become a great scientist or mathematician, start reading books and memorize the formulas.

In conclusion, you can see why innovation is the key to success. It will lead to personal and financial wealth.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Innovation-Is-the-Key-to-Success&id=9236285

The #1 Secret To Realizing Your Biggest Dreams

For years I was convinced I knew what kept people from achieving their goals in life: determination and persistence. But now, my opinion has changed. I think accountability is the key to success.

Persistence and determination are nearly impossible to sustain in a vacuum — accountability is the missing ingredient necessary for major achievement. Marketers know this and often use our lack of accountability to increase profits.

The gym industry’s business model, for example, is to vastly oversell memberships, knowing that a huge percentage of newly recruited clients will visit once or twice at most. In fact, Planet Fitness gyms average 6,500 members each but can hold a maximum of 300 people.

They’re quite confident that only the tiniest fraction of members will ever show up. Your lack of accountability is how they make a profit.

When we’re pursuing our creative or personal dreams, however, we’re usually totally on our own.

On the flip side, as both a yoga teacher and a writing coach, I know how powerful accountability really is.

Having taught hundreds of yoga clients one-on-one, it’s extremely rare that someone writes me a large check for a package of 10 private lessons and then vanishes into the woodwork.

Yes, paying the larger cash investment helps guarantee a commitment, but even greater than that is the accountability to me as their trainer. Unlike hitting the snooze alarm for an hour and blowing off a morning spin class, if we’ve made a 7 a.m. appointment I will definitely be knocking on their door at 6:59 a.m. That accountability makes all the difference in the world.

I’ve observed similar phenomena with my writing clients. I can always tell when someone is actually going to achieve his or her goals or whether when I circle back to them in two or three years, they will be in the exact same situation. I wish it were a testament to my psychic abilities, but it’s not. It’s entirely to do with the accountability they’ve created (or not).

In “real life,” we’re often held accountable by pure economic necessity (i.e., if we don’t show up for our nine-to-five, we'll become homeless) or an observant partner, roommate, or cable company (“I’m sorry, but why don’t you have your share of this month’s electric bill?”).

When we’re pursuing our creative or personal dreams, however, we’re usually totally on our own. No one’s prodding us to write the screenplay or novel we’ve been dreaming about, perhaps have even started, making sure we fill up the blank page.

Even worse, sometimes key people in our lives may be unknowingly sabotaging our success.

Rather than affirming your fitness goals, all your friends might, in a spirit of loving support, tell you not to worry about those 15 pounds you know you desperately want to lose. They mean well, but they’re agents of destruction for your workouts.

Someone might just be too close to really be objective or unabashedly honest. Worse still, an inappropriate accountability partner might have conflicts with your success, secretly hoping that you maintain the status quo rather than achieving your full potential.

If you really want to achieve your goals, it’s vital that you have an accountability structure.

One potential creative client of mine reconsidered at the last minute, saying that her husband volunteered to be her free accountability partner on her writing project. They may have an awesome relationship but there’s no way he can be both supportive AND objective. Of course, and not surprisingly, over the last three years, not one word of that book has been written.

I’m definitely not suggesting that appropriate accountability can only be had with paid coaches or trainers like myself.

What I am saying is that if you really want to achieve your goals, it’s vital that you not only have an accountability structure but also that it’s supportive, meaningful, and objective.

Credit card companies have this down to a science (except the supportive part). If you miss a payment, they’ve no problem quite literally calling you out on it. They are completely objective about the fact that you missed a deadline. The accountability becomes meaningful because they’re happy to remind you that there are consequences to your lapses: late fees and credit reporting.

A trained coach in your industry might be best, but how else might you find a solid accountability partner?

Perhaps you can find a gym buddy equally committed to his or her fitness goals who won’t tolerate even your best excuses.

On a creative level, you might find kindred spirits in a writers group, a theater company, or a shared studio space where a healthy, supportive spirit exists — perhaps even one with a dose of competition.

What’s most vital is that you realize that no matter how talented, how ambitious, how committed or tenacious you are, that you cannot do it alone.

No one can.

And that's the final bonus of accountability. Having someone in your corner who is cheerleader, champion, and a bit of a taskmaster not only makes you more effective — it’s also a lot less lonely.

Making sure that accountability is part of your support system will not only make all your 2016 goals infinitely more achievable; it will also make the journey vastly more satisfying.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-23164/the-1-secret-to-realizing-your-biggest-dreams.html