Flip your Thoughts - The Key Habit for Success

This guest post was written by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.

It was just a short 20 months ago when I discovered a very simple key that allowed me to finally quit smoking and become a runner. It was such an easy but powerful key that I then used it to eat healthier, double my income, become an early riser, run a marathon, become a vegan, lose weight, reduce my debt, save money, write a novel, complete a triathlon, and start a successful blog. What was that simple key to success? It was this: flip your thoughts.

Before I learned that, I would always start a goal with a lot of enthusiasm, and then run out of steam and eventually fail. After that initial burst of enthusiasm, the negative thoughts would set in on me: You can’t do this. It’s too hard. I’m too tired. It’s painful. Give in to the easier stuff.

Then I learned to flip my thoughts, and those negative thoughts became positive ones: You can do this. It’s hard, but the reward will be well worth it. You’re tired, but if you do this you can rest afterwards. It’s painful, so let’s take it a little easier, and focus on the benefits. There’s easier things you could be doing, but how will you feel afterwards?

Take any negative thought that hampers your goal, and find a way to flip it into a positive thought. Are you focusing on the difficulties of a goal or task? Focus instead on the benefits. Are you focusing on why you can’t do something? Focus instead on how you can, and why you should.

Actually, there is another key that must come first: you need to become aware of your thoughts. Many times we are thinking negative thoughts, but we don’t realize it. Start any goal by monitoring your thoughts. If you’re going to go running, for example, be aware of the thoughts that tell you to stop, that tell you that it’s too hard. Spend a day or two just being aware of those thoughts — and then try to flip them.

It’s a skill that takes practice, but trust me, if you get good at this skill, it will unlock any goal you set out to achieve. Let’s take a look at how to apply this key to some common goals. Some of these examples might seem corny and overly optimistic, but trust me, positive self-talk really works.

Eating healthier. Let’s say you’re trying to eat less fatty foods and trying to eat more fruits and vegetables instead. And you notice a common thought in your head: I really want that fried chicken. I really want that rich dessert. It looks so good and delicious! What do you do? Flip that thought: That fried chicken will clog my arteries and make me fat. So will that dessert. But those cut up fruits and veggies look delicious, and refreshing, and they will help me lose my gut! Think of the negative things about the fatty foods, and the positive things and the benefits of the healthy foods.

Exercise. The hardest part is actually getting out and starting the exercise. You might think: I’m too lazy right now. I don’t feel like it. I’d rather check my email. Instead, flip your thoughts: Exercise isn’t hard. Anyways, I don’t need to do too much today. I’m just going to put on my shoes and jog for 5 minutes, and see if I feel like doing more from there. And it will help me lose that gut!

Frugality. Monitor your spending urges, which typically come if you’re at a store or a mall or you’re shopping online. Your thoughts might be: I really want that gadget (or pair of shoes or whatever). I gotta have it. Now flip your thoughts: I don’t really need that right now, and it’s going to put me over my budget. Instead, I want to see if I can go a month without spending on anything unnecessary, so I can pay off my debts and be free of that burden!

Happiness. Negative thoughts are what get us down and spoil our happiness. There are so many in this area that it’s impossible to name them all, but again, learn to become aware of them … and then flip them. An example: I am such a failure. My life isn’t going anywhere. Flip those thoughts: Actually, I’ve done a lot in my life, and I have a lot to be thankful for (and here you should think of everything you have to be thankful for, including your material comforts, any loved ones, your health, or just life itself). And while I might not be doing as well as I’d like, I am going to take positive action and seek new opportunities. I can make this happen.

Career success. Negative thoughts are our main obstacles to success. Just one example: My supervisor hates me. I hate him and I’m not going anywhere in this job. Now try flipping those thoughts: I can impress my supervisor and his supervisors will a couple of stellar projects that will bring major benefits to this company. I’m going to take the initiative to start these projects and perform amazingly. And while I’m doing that, I’m going to look for other opportunities to get jobs that will give me the advancement I want.

Waking early. I wake up at 4:30 a.m. every day, and I’ve learned to love the early morning hours (read more about this here). While rising early isn’t for everyone, some people really want to wake earlier, but they have problems finding the motivation when the alarm goes off. Here’s a common negative thought: I’m so darn tired. I can just sleep another 20 minutes and there won’t be any harm. But try flipping those thoughts instead: I’m going to become an early riser and greet the day with energy! There are a few things I really want to do this morning, so if I get up now, I can actually get them done!

The Time Is NOW

Hello Everyone and Happy Tuesday!

This was not the blog that I had planned to write today, I had an experience a few nights ago that really inspired me to change my direction a bit (Warning: I am at home from school over the summer, so you never know what you are going to get).

Anyway, I had dinner plans out with friends. We went to this local fondue restaurant, which is an experience that I absolutely love (although how they can charge those prices for a place and you still have to cook your own food is beyond me!). So, if you have ever eaten at a fondue restaurant, you know that it can be a very long experience since you have to cook every single morsel of food yourself. If you haven't been to a fondue restaurant, let me give you some advice - only go with people that you really like because conversation is a must. As we sat there during our 5 hour dinner and a few glasses of wine, there was plenty of time for conversation. In fact, everyone at the table can just about share every live experience they have ever had over a 5 hour dinner. So, as always, the topic of the economy came up. WOW! I am sure that is a conversation that all of you have had with your friends, but it really is amazing to hear how much the economy - especially gas prices - have changed just about everything that we do. I knew I was cutting way back on everything, but didn't realize the magnitude to which people were altering their lives due to the elevated price of gas alone. One of my friends said that she was thinking of leaving her long time position with a company downtown so she could find something closer to her house. Another, a mother of 2, said she was so looking forward to the end of summer so she could stop driving her kids all over town for their summer sporting events. Everyone I know has already dumped their SUVs and high-end sports cars in lieu of more practical cars that are either hybrid or economy to save on gas. This dinner, 1 year ago, would have been filled with conversations of summer vacations, new cars, amazing purchases, remodeling plans, etc. But this year, no one is taking a vacation. The new car purchases are out of necessity rather than desire and everyone is holding back on spending at all costs - only the necessities!

Then, one of my friends said something that changed the entire direction of the conversation. He said, "WOW. this must be an incredible time for your business. I can't imagine that people aren't knocking your doors down looking for a way to make additional income. I have seen your ladies, and I know they must be making a killing right now selling and recruiting in this economy!" Of course it was then that I went and got a stack of bar napkins and a pen so I could jot down my thoughts so I could write this blog.

I hope we don't get stuck in the mindset that when the economy is weak, and prices are high that we are going to suffer a valley in our Heritage Makers income as well. We have so many things to offer women and men today - especially when the economy is weak.

Number 1 - we offer an amazing career opportunity for full time and part time jobs that can bring in as much supplemental income as a person desires. All too often I hear of people who are recruiting people so they can get the product at a discount. That is totally the wrong way of thinking about it. We need to be selling this career as a high potential for income rather than trying to recruit people to get a discount on their products. The opportunity to earn extra income from sharing and selling products that they believe in is one of the easiest ways make money – not to mention one of the most fun ways. I know so many people who are taking part-time jobs either at night or on the weekends just to afford the things that their full time job used to cover. People need to hear about "ATM - Anytime Money" positioning. We do have what people need right now. Don't be afraid to share it. It could be the smartest investment a person could ever make and one of the best things you could ever do to help someone. You have to admit, holding a couple of Celebrations is a lot more fun than getting a part time job as a weekend sales clerk at your local department store! And just think how little gas prices will matter when you reach the level to get your car allowance!

Number 2 - we have incredible products that transcend time and money – we offer people a way to preserve their heritage! I had a celebration last night and it was amazing – the women cried twice when I read “Connor Can” and the book my daughter made for me – THEY GET IT! They understand how important those words are in people’s lives. My host and the lady that she booked a party from were there and I hardly had to do any talking – they kept going on and on about how their dad, and their daughter felt when they opened the gift book that was made for them – I couldn’t have coached them better!

Number 3 – Another testimonial came from a person who has scrapbooked for years – she told the group that “This sure beats putting all that time, energy, and money into making those scrapbooks. Now I can sit down with no mess and no mistakes, and create books for all my family members. I will never scrapbook again.” Wow – how do you think this made the ladies feel who were seeing this for the first time feel?

Now is the time to talk to people about heritage. Now is the time to set up a little workshop in your home – even if you just have one computer and a scanner. Offer some bottled water and a little chocolate and invite people to come and work on their projects. I have been doing this consistently for a year and a half, and I cannot believe how many people are actually DOING their projects!

I also have a large number of people asking me to make their books for them. When we are at a celebration and they start saying that they love the idea, but where would they find the time, I just whip out my big Ziploc bag with a pad of post-it notes in it and my price sheet and tell them “Don’t worry – I will make your book for you. You gather your photos, put a post-it on the back with what you want to say, number them in the order you want them and give me a call. We will plan your book, I will scan, create it, and we will proof it together.” They are more than happy to pay for this service.

Again, all too often, I hear of people who are worried about asking for the sale with the economy the way that it is. Let me tell you, women are still
paying big bucks for the things they really care about with or without a weak economy. If we don't market ourselves as a retail channel and sell our products at their full retail price, we are not only cheating ourselves,
but we are diminishing the value of our brand (and when I say "brand" I mean YOU, INC. – in the consumer's eye's YOU are Heritage Makers). Economy or no economy, people still want to preserve their photos and stories! What makes it even better, is that they have the convenience of buying them from you – their personal consultant! No more running to the scrapbook store or photo processor, wasting gas. They can get them from you or order them online via their very own studio and have the convenience of home delivery and the expertise of their very own Consultant.

A good friend of mine who has been a long-time mentor in my professional life gave me some great advice. She said to me, "learn to own your power". What she meant by this was take control of the opportunity you have to market yourself and your talents, believe in what you have to offer and allow yourself to be successful. You have what people need - plain and simple. People WANT the best products at the best prices and they NEED to make supplemental income to off-set the crazy increases in today's cost of living. So, I would like to pass along those words of wisdom to all of you – OWN YOUR POWER. Believe in the opportunity that you have to offer. By sharing what you have with those around you, you can literally change their lives and improve their income. That's powerful!

(portions of this essay were inspired by other sources)

The REAL How to Get Things Done in 1 Minute

I finished reading David Allen’s unofficial productivity bible, “Getting Things Done” (GTD) about 2 and a half months ago. Since then I’ve made an asserted effort to implement his suggestions. The fundamental goal was to simply increase my daily rate of productive output.
I found that some of David Allen’s suggestions were instantly applicable, some needed a little tweaking to better suit my needs and others were a bit too rigid and were thus substituted for alternative methods. After 2 months of fine-tuning I’m happy to report that I have implemented a productivity system that works really well.

That’s what this short article is about. A crystal clear, 1 minute read on increasing your productivity by using the slightly modified GTD-based methods that have worked for me. Let’s get to it…

1. Create 1 Inbox (Entry Point) for All New Tasks – This should be the only place you record the new things you must get done and the only place you need to reference when you are ready to review them. I use my Outlook inbox as my GTD inbox. This will work well for anyone like me who receives a large quantity of tasks via email. If a task comes in any other format (snail mail, face to face meeting, phone call, etc.), I immediately send myself one email with a descriptive subject and body (more info below) for each new task.

2. Create “Work”, “Personal” and “Someday Maybe” Folders – I created 3 subfolders under my main Outlook inbox for this purpose. All work related tasks that must be done will be filed under “Work” and all personal tasks that must be done will be filed under “Personal”. Any less urgent tasks or miscellaneous ideas will be filed under “Someday Maybe” (these are open ended tasks like “learn Spanish”).

3. Completely Empty Your Inbox Every Morning – I completely empty my inbox every single morning without failure. This entails deleting any garbage emails, instantly completing the open tasks that take less than 2 minutes to resolve (more info below) and then filing all the remaining tasks into their appropriate subfolders.

4. Instantly Complete All 2-Minute (or less) Tasks – This is the most useful GTD method in the whole book. Every time you review new tasks (or new small parts of bigger tasks) ask yourself this question: Will this task take me longer than two minutes to complete if I start on it now? If the answer is no, do it now.

5. File All Remaining Tasks with Actionable Labeling – As you’re filing all the tasks that take more than 2 minutes to complete, verify that the subject and description (for me this is placed in the subject line of an email message) of the task is clear and action oriented. It’s easiest to think of this in labeling method as having two distincts parts, the task subject and the next action description. For example, “Design New Website Layout | Meet with the CEO to discuss my design ideas.”

6. Set Reminders in Calendar for Time Dependent Tasks – You should place a reminder in your calendar (for me this is the Outlook calendar) for any task with an associated time dependency. For example, a task entitled “Design New Website Layout | Design meeting Monday 10AM”, should also have a reminder entry placed in your calendar for 10AM Monday morning.

7. Review Every Open Task a Least Once a Day – Once your inbox is empty, read through all the tasks in your “Work” and “Personal” folders everyday just to review what you have in there. During this quick review process you will be able to remove tasks that have been completed, edit tasks as necessary with additional information and refresh your memory on all the open tasks you have. Note: Only review your “Someday Maybe” folder once a week at a set time.

8. Create a Short “Everyday” List for Complex Tasks or Projects – Create a short list of the things you must do everyday to ensure that you remain in control of a specific complex task or project (a group of related tasks). Review this list every morning or whenever you need a quick reminder. This especially helps me get into the groove of managing new, long-term projects that I have not yet fully mastered. An “Everyday” list might look something like this: Project X Everyday - 1. Meet with program managers, 2. Review active status reports, 3. Verify validity of open issues, etc.

Hopefully this 1 minute, GTD-based lesson will set you on the right track and motivate you to implement a similar system in your own life, a system for productively getting things done.

How to Get Things Done in 1 Minute

(from Marc and Angel Hack Life)

The Art of Entrepreneurship

The art of entrepreneurship

Regardless of the nation’s economic outlook, a good idea is recession-proof

Tom Breitling

Sun, May 18, 2008 (2:03 a.m.)

 

CHRIS MORRIS

The economic news is relentless. Home foreclosures. Teetering mortgage companies. Tottering airlines. Brands that once rode high are going bankrupt. Job losses. Dangerous levels of public and private debt.

If we’re not in a recession, there’s no denying that our economy does not feel good, which means this is not the time to be paralyzed in front of the TV. Look at the world in a new way, and build value for the future.

Which, the way I see it, means it’s a great time to be an entrepreneur.

One of the best moments in my career as an entrepreneur was meeting the singer Tony Bennett. This was a few years ago when my partner, Tim Poster, and I owned the Golden Nugget. Over lunch one day, Tony passed on a bit of wisdom that will never leave me.

Tony said he saw entrepreneurs as the artists of the future.

When he said it I was sort of stunned. I’d never really thought of myself as an artist. Yet here was one of America’s greatest recording talents — a man who has paintings hanging in galleries around the world — calling me an artist.

Over time, I’ve come to understand what Tony was pointing out. Entrepreneurs are always thinking creatively. The difference is we’re not working on a canvas that will express an intriguing idea or evoke a deep feeling as it hangs on a wall. We’re looking for a new way to solve problems and finding ways to make a business better and deliver a product or service that was previously unavailable.

The bottom line, in art or in business, always comes down to seeing the world in a new light.

Which brings me back to my point about its being a great time to be an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurial minds don’t stop thinking creatively just because the economy is hurting. This is when creative minds focus. When better to solve problems than when they’re big and staring you in the face? As the saying goes: Without a problem, there is no solution.

The news never tells the complete story. Opportunities exist. Let me give you an example that starts in the tech stock boom during the late ’90s and comes out on the other side of the Nasdaq meltdown of 2001-02.

My partner and I ran a hotel reservation business in Las Vegas that started in the early ’90s with a desk, a phone and a chair. Our timing was ripe. We were selling discounted hotel rooms in Las Vegas right after Steve Wynn produced an erupting volcano in front of the Mirage, the first major property built in Las Vegas in 16 years.

The crowds flocked to see the Mirage and it launched a new era for the city. Imaginative developers built other themed hotels and vacationers stormed the city, using our company to book rooms at discounted rates. We became an innovator in online sales. Our online reservation system sent our business — Travelscape — soaring and enabled us to expand worldwide. Then Expedia came calling.

Travelscape was focused on hotel and vacation package reservations in Las Vegas and around the world. Expedia was selling airline tickets via the Internet. Combining the two was like putting hamburgers and french fries together on a plate for the first time in history. We eventually sold Travelscape to Expedia for $105 million in Expedia stock. It was a great deal for both parties.

Unfortunately, the tech meltdown hit. The bottom dropped out of the entire stock market because many of the tech companies being trumpeted were not really viable. Fear gripped investors, much as it does now because of the mortgage mess. Our Expedia stock plummeted from $34 to $7 a share. We couldn’t sell our shares because of the nature of the deal. Our $105 million profit lost roughly 80 percent of its value.

But here’s the thing. I was still working with Expedia during this period, and I saw that the hamburger and french fries model was working. Expedia’s numbers were shooting through the roof. Its stock was being punished simply because investors were panicking and associating it with failing tech companies.

After the initial upheaval, investors took a careful look at Expedia and saw its growth. The stock recovered, and then soared from $7 to $150 (split adjusted) by the summer of 2003. It was a great company that was moving forward in a creative way, just as inventive minds in the mortgage world are right now assessing the damage and figuring out how to navigate past the current dislocation. When they do, profitability will return. Nobody should lose sight of the fact that lending money to people to buy homes is a very lucrative enterprise. Always has been. Always will be.

The creative minds will always come through. Those who are overcome by fear and who can’t see past the muck are never going to step out of it.

It’s all about thinking creatively — seeing business as art.

I recently wrote a book about the experiences my partner and I had at Travelscape and subsequently as owners of the Golden Nugget. While doing a signing at a local Las Vegas bookstore, a little boy and his mom came to the table and asked what the book was about.

When I told him, the boy’s eyes grew wide and he beamed: “I want to own a hotel and casino when I grow up!”

A spirit like that is never going to be deterred by bad economic times.

There is never a lousy time to dream big. This is an opportune moment; great products and services will come out of our current disruption. In a difficult economy and a tension-filled election year, America remains the land of opportunity.

My business partner and best friend and I come from humble backgrounds, and we didn’t go to Ivy League schools or get MBAs. We made it by creating and growing our own business and then living and breathing that business.

It is tough to be optimistic when people are losing their jobs and companies are downsizing, but the right idea, the right business and the right partnerships can survive the down cycles. There are emerging prospects to bet big on in the future.

The creativity and imagination of up-and-coming entrepreneurs will drive the economy forward. I believe this because right now my partner and I are spending a lot of time thinking about our next work of art.

Tom Breitling is president of Breitling Ventures and author of “Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos.”

Hanging On or Moving On?

From my dear friend Barbara Winter - author of "Making a Living Doing what you Love"
www.barbarawinter.com

Every few months, I get the alumni magazine from my college. I usually glance through the class notes to see if there's anyone I remember who has gotten mentioned. Most of the entries are a bit, well, dull, saying things like, "Now retired after 30 years teaching in the same school" or "Just retired from 40 years at the bank." Apparently, my fellow college students were big on staying put in one place.

This time, however, an entry caught my eye. It read, "Retired after 35 years as a social worker and probation officer. He now spends his time as a traveler in Africa and is a full-time freelance outdoors writer." I never knew the man so described, but I wanted to. I particularly wanted to know how he kept his adventurous soul alive for such a long time while toiling away in Cook County Illinois.

Leaving a familiar situation is a challenge that comes to all of us-sometimes several times throughout our life. Not everyone meets the challenge with ease. I remember a woman who had spent her life as a teacher. She had stuck with it long after the satisfaction had gone. Now she was ready, she said, to do something completely different. However, she wasn't at all certain what the new path should be. That happens, of course, when we become entrenched in a situation or relationship for so long that we forget that we have options.

I made several suggestions about how she could begin exploring. I heard from her again after about ten days and she was making remarkable headway. She'd even listed all of her teaching books on eBay-burning her bridges she said. Imagine my amazement when I opened her next e-mail which was obviously written in a moment of great panic. "I only have another week to sign my teaching contract," it read. "Should I sign it?"

I was flabbergasted and promptly replied that I didn't have the answer to her question. I suggested, however, that it might be a temporary lapse on her part and then I said, "So how are you going to tell your grandchildren that you once had an opportunity to create a truly adventurous life and you chickened out?" The moment I typed that question, I realized at a very deep level, how our acts of self-doubt don't just impact our own lives, but have a profound ripple effect. Take the low road and you'll have a procession behind you. What kind of legacy is that?

We might tell ourselves that staying in a stultifying relationship isn't really so bad or having a job that robs us of any creative enthusiasm is fine for now, but every day that we hang on we are losing precious time that could be spent building something bold and beautiful. On the other hand, our acts of courage beget courage in others as well. We never know who's watching.

While letting go can seem terrifying, think of the times you've done so and found yourself in a better place. It's no use tricking yourself into thinking that you'll make things better while staying in the bad situation, however. Doesn't work that way. As long as you hang on, you can't move on.

If you're in need of prompting, you might want to post these encouraging words from Ellen Goodman: "There's a trick to the Graceful Exit, I suspect. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over and to let it go. It means leaving what's over without denying its validity or its past importance in our lives. It involves a sense of the future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, we are moving on rather than out. It's hard to learn that we don't leave the best parts of ourselves behind, back in the dugout or the Capital or the office. We own what we learned back there, the experience and the growth are grafted onto our lives. And when we exit, we can take ourselves along. Quite gracefully.

Wise Words

WISE PERSONS ARE THOSE WHO THINK TWICE BEFORE SPEAKING ONCE.

Perhaps the greatest quality in a leader and the most valuable skill in building relationships is the ability to think before you speak. If you have a tendency to speak hastily in anger and regret your actions at leisure, the childhood admonition to count to ten before speaking will still serve you well. When you pause-if only for a moment-to consider the consequences, you may think better of what you were about to say. And if you must speak strongly, it’s a good idea to sugarcoat the words-just in case you have to eat them later.