How To Cultivate A Resourceful State of Mind

When the world sour things up for you, do you retaliate or make lemonade instead? 

Photo by Gustavo Scafeli on Unsplash

All things being equal, the manner in which you respond internally to external factors will determine how you feel. It is all in your mind. Over time you would have conditioned yourself into a predictable response when faced with the same triggering event.

If you are typically emotionally drained because you are bothered by everything and every other person, then it is time for you to unlearn and learn how you can take charge of your response and chart a preferred outcome.

It is time for you to grapple with: Event + Response = Outcome.

Click here for Take Charge of Your Mind & your Results by Adam Khoo (NLP techniques).

You will be refreshed by Adam Khoo's passionate and insightful motivation to generate resourceful emotions so as live a more enjoyable and successful life.

Know Yourself and What You Want

Take some time (5 minutes) and glean from the following clips on practical ideas you can use for your life (the next 50 years and counting).

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Click here for Oprah Winfrey | 5 Minutes For The NEXT 50 Years of Your LIFE

Click here for Will Smith | 5 Minutes for the NEXT 50 Years of Your LIFE ft. Matthew McConaughey and Denzel W. 

Click here for The #1 Skill To Achieving Your Goals 

The Most Powerful Two Words

It begins with an "I".

Followed by the drive to put your best foot forward.

It's all up to you!

Spotlight on: Evan Carmichael's Top 10 Rules Series

Evan Carmichael has compiled an inspiring library of YouTube videos on Top 10 Rules for Success for your refreshing.

The following is a sample for your edification to pursue your dream life:-

Click here for Jack Ma's Top 10 Rules For Success, namely:

1. Get used to rejection
2. Keep your dream alive 
3. Focus on culture
4. Ignore  the #LittleMan
5. Get inspired
6. Stay focused
7. Have a good name 
8. Customers are #1 
9. Don't complain, look for opportunities
10. Have passion 

Click here for Jeff Bezos's Top 10 Rules For Success (@JeffBezos), namely:
1. Have no regrets
2. Follow your heart not your head
3. Invest more in the product than money
4. Pick a good name
5. Stand for something
6. Focus on the customer
7. Focus On Your Passion
8. Build a culture
9. Premium products at non-premium prices
10. Take a risk


Click here for "You BECOME What You #BELIEVE!" - Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) - Top 10 Rules, namely:

-= OPRAH'S RULES =-
1. Set boundaries
2. Create the life you want
3. Turn your wounds into wisdom
4. Live your life to the fullest
5. Demand respect
6. You Become What you #Believe
7. Touch lives every day
8. Own your life
9. Live a truthful life
10. Say "Thank You!"
-= BONUS =-
* Become the best version of yourself
* Connect with people
* Keep a grateful journal

Take The Stairs to The Top

Image credit: Ajay Babla Photography

The Path to SUCCESS

With each new day, based on what your have learned from experiences in the University of Life, you are one step closer to graduating with success.

Chew on these and be refreshed:

   SUCCESS is the result of good judgment.

   GOOD JUDGMENT is the result of experience.

   EXPERIENCE is the result of bad judgment.

In essence, your setbacks can path your comebacks towards success. So, don't ever give up and work on till you are happy with your endeavours even when the going gets tough. 

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by being happy and pumping up positive energy.

Open The Door To Your Success

At www.success.com, there are precious many refreshing articles to boost your mental strength and stretch your adaptability to lead a successful life such as the following for starters:- 

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1. Food, Sleep, Exercise: Why You Seriously Need All 3 to Be Successful
   by Rhett Power
2. What's the Secret of the Best Places to Work? Compassion and Connection
   by Echo Montgomery Garrett
3. 6 Tips to Create a Balanced Life
   by Mark Victor Hansen

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

How effective are you? 

Well, one yardstick of measurement would be to review your state of being in the light of Dr. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, namely:

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Habit 6: Synergize

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw 


If you are interested to know more, just go and borrow a copy from the library or check out:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People . 


Then, you may wanna venture on to read Eric Jackson's article on "The Only Thing You Need To Remember About The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" located at:- 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2012/07/24/the-only-thing-you-need-to-remember-about-the-seven-habits-of-highly-effective-people/2/ 

What Does Success Mean To You?

There are many possible definitions of success. Success could mean having the resources to do the things that we want. Better still, success could mean having the capability to pursue personal interests apart from the usual obligations and duties, enjoy the finer things in life and live the life we have been dreaming about.

Success is a matter of degree, relativity and diversity. For every level of success, there is a higher level of success to be attained. We can be successful in one area (e.g., business) but not in another area (e.g., family), or we can be successful in many areas but not as much and varied as another person.


Then, there are those whose achievements or contributions are recognized by others and become recipients of accolades, giving them the aura of success. Success then breeds success, and one’s fame becomes a buoy for waves of media coverage over a good stretch of time in the sea of life. 

By the by, other people begin to see you as a success and you become a celebrity of sorts. Such a favourable vibe may indeed serve as a reasonable gauge of your success. That said, one can also be a pure success minus the trappings and remain small in your own eyes without having to blow any trumpets, so to speak.

Here are some rambling on success for your reading pleasure:

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell

“To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success.” – Henry John Heinz

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton

“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” – Abraham Lincoln

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills

“Success is 99 percent failure.” – Sochira Honda

“Success is not perfection; success is slightly above average.”  - anonymous

“Every worthwhile accomplishment has a price tag attached to it. The question is always whether you are willing to pay the price to attain it – in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance.” – John C. Maxwell

“Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he has encountered, and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.” – Charles Lindbergh

“Failure is really a matter of conceit. People don’t work hard because, in their conceit, they imagine they’ll succeed without ever making an effort. Most people believe that they’ll wake up some day and find themselves rich. Actually, they’ve got it half right, because eventually they do wake up.” – Thomas Edison

‘There are two types of people who never achieve much in their lifetime. The person who don’t do what he is told, and the person who does no more than he is told.” – Andrew Carnegie

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty and job to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” – Helen Keller

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden path, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeed.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

10,000 hours = success 
(According to the 10,000th rule in “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcom Gladwell)

Click here to read Q & A With Malcom Gladwell on Outliers: The Story of Success.

Hopefully, the aforesaid ideas and observations of success have given you some inspiration. Now, it’s your turn to define what success means to you. 

Are You Winning the Self-Discipline Game? How to Get More Out of Yourself Every Day by Bill Cole

Are You Winning the Self-Discipline Game?

How To Get More Out of Yourself Every Day

Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and CEO
William B. Cole Consultants
Silicon Valley, California

Are you happy with your productivity? Could you get more out of yourself on a daily basis? Do you have a system for creating more self-discipline in your life and for becoming better at achieving your goals?

There is a way to push yourself and focus better without being negative or miserable to be around. You can develop the self-discipline that championship athletes possess and apply that to your work, sport or daily life. People have asked me those questions almost every day in my 30 years as a coach. There is a way. Here's how you can make healthy self-discipline a reality.

Question: How can becoming more self-disciplined help me?

Bill: You can achieve more and be more efficient in everything you do. You can reach goals that you never thought possible if you have higher levels of self-discipline. Your self-confidence sky-rockets when you treat yourself right and reach for your dreams.

Question: Some days I just don't feel like doing what I know I have to do. How do I get jump-started to get going?

Bill: Top achievers remind themselves of a few basic, yet powerful truths they live their lives by, to get going when the old bones don't want to move. They remember how short life is, they remember that if it is to be, it is up to them, and they remember that they made a commitment with themselves and they honor that commitment, because they respect themselves. It still may not be easy to get going, but they call on a higher level of thinking to motivate themselves.

Question: Won't I stop having fun if I become too self-disciplined?

Bill: Many folks think that being self-disciplined means being serious and crotchety. It really just means respecting your commitment to yourself and others and doing what you agree to do. You can have as much fun, and more than ever because you will feel so good about what and how you achieve.

Question: I enjoy "going with the flow" some days, instead of being so rigid about my to-do list. Is this OK?

Bill: It's perfectly fine to be flexible and adaptive any time. Being disciplined does not mean staying on course no matter what. You don't even need a to-do list to be disciplined, as long as you achieve what you have to do.

Question: Will I stifle my creativity if I improve my self-discipline?

Bill: You may even improve your ability to be creative. You may find that you open up time for being creative and super-charge your mind so that it works faster and makes connections faster, a major factor in creativity training. Being self-disciplined means being more focused on tasks, not on being more rigid. I think you'll find your creativity opening up as you learn to focus better.

Question: If I become extremely self-disciplined, won't I lose my down-time, my time to relax and just be me?

Bill: Just the opposite. Being self-disciplined allows you to have more down time as you fine-tune your schedule and intentionally put in regular slots for relaxation, exercise, nutrition, socializing, and all else you purposely want to have in your life.

Question: I'm very disciplined in some phases of my life, and terribly lazy in other areas. What can I do about this?

Bill: It depends what you mean by lazy. You have to allow yourself some unstructured time to relax and play. Try doing this and not feeling guilty.

Question: How can I reward myself for improving my self-discipline?

Bill: It is vitally important to reward yourself for effort and for results. You should celebrate all successes, no matter how small. High achievers do not withhold self-reward. They use it to launch themselves to the next task and to the next level.

Question: I seem to become negative when I push myself to achieve more and work harder. Is there a way to be more self-disciplined, yet remain focused and stay positive?

Bill: Build in some fun, relaxation and down-time in your day and take a break when the tension builds. Achievement is exciting, but not 100% stress-free sometimes. Know when to back off.

Question: What are your best strategies for building a program for becoming self-disciplined?

Bill: Set goals, write down the reasons for those goals, when you want to achieve them and how. Then make a signed contract with yourself and vow to stick to that agreement. Measure your progress on a daily and weekly basis and make adjustments to goals when needed. Celebrate your successes and enjoy the process!


To learn about coaching services offered by Bill Cole, MS, MA, the Mental Game Coach™, visit www.mentalgamecoach.com/Services.html.

Copyright © 2005-2012 Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.

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Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps organizations and professionals achieve more success in business, life and sports. He is also the Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association (www.mentalgamecoaching.com), an organization dedicated to advancing the research, development, professionalism and growth of mental game coaching worldwide. He is a multiple Hall-Of-Fame honoree as an athlete, coach and school alumnus, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published book author and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For a free, extensive article archive, or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.

Free Re-Publishing Rights For This Article
You have our advance permission to republish this article, as long as you do not sell it. The author's name, web address (MentalGameCoach.com) and copyright notice (Copyright © Bill Cole, MS, MA) must appear in all reprinted articles. If the article appears on a website or in an e-zine, the article must include a link to a page in the MentalGameCoach website. We would also appreciate your including the author's bio and full contact information in your article, although this is not a requirement.

How Superstars Reach Their Goals, How We Can Reach Ours by Bill Cole

How Superstars Reach Their Goals How We Can Reach Ours Bill Cole, MS, MA Founder and CEO William B. Cole Consultants Silicon Valley, California Are superstars born or made? Do they have the genius of supreme achievement by an accident of birth, a favorable environment or from their own individual effort? Whatever the reasons, superstars are a different breed. They must succeed and they will succeed. They have an amazing capacity to dream big, strive even bigger and come through against all the odds. Can we learn to become better achievers by looking inside the minds of the big-time peak performers? Let's see what makes them tick and why they are able to achieve so much more and at a higher level than anyone else. Here are their characteristics. 1. A Can-Do Attitude. Superstars have a "make-it-happen" attitude. They take it for granted that they will succeed. They act as if it's a done deal that they will win. They are infectious in their enthusiasm for a project and enlist others easily to make it become a reality. They are bursting with positive expectancy that everything will be a smashing success. Their motto is "Get It Done!" 2. A Bias To Action. Superstars take action. They start acting on an idea or plan quickly and make room in their schedule for tangible, concrete objectives that take them closer to their goals. They spend time reflectively, but take action when action is required. They don't waste time over-planning. They get down to it. 3. Atmospheric Standards. Superstars are often not 100% happy with their performances. They are not negative about them, but they are realistic and demanding of themselves and often of those around them. They continually seek improvement in even the tiniest areas of their performance and regularly raise the bar as each new ability level is surmounted. They hold their best all-time performances as the ideal and seek to rise to that level always. 4. Superb Organizational Skills. Superstars know how to break projects down into manageable bite-sized chunks. Their favorite motto is "Mile by mile it's a trial; inch by inch it's a cinch". They know that many details placed together in proper order lead to something big. They spend time planning and keeping records to show progress and to stay on time projections. They are in a hurry to succeed, but never rush. 5. Decisiveness. Superstars are decisive. This is a characteristic of all successful people. They gather information and quickly decide to act on it and later make changes based on new information. They take advantage of the windows of opportunities that arise and go for it. They have confidence that they made the right decision and the confidence that if they do not, they can successfully change gear and recover for a positive outcome. 6. They Sacrifice. Superstars know how to sacrifice to make something happen. They know they often can't have it all and that they must have singular focus to succeed. They are good at going into "tunnel-vision" to block out all distractions so they can rapidly advance past their objectives. They deny themselves those things that do not contribute to making them successful. They know how to be self-disciplined and stay on track. 7. They Love The Struggle. Superstars love the battle. They love the process. They love the climb up the ladder. Superstars love to be in the game, the hunt, the chase. This is what it is all about for many of them. They are excited pursuing their goals and take extreme pleasure in the challenge to see what impossible obstacles they can leap on their way to success. They want stories to tell, bragging rights as part of the success trophy. 8. They Love To Achieve. Meeting objectives and reaching goals is energizing to top achievers. They can't wait to get to work and see the results of their efforts. They boost their self-esteem and self-confidence as they finish a project or task that is highly satisfying. They pour their entire passion into what they love to do and complete it with all their energies and enthusiasm. Some people look at superstars and lament that they could never do what they do. They get discouraged at the gap between what is and what could be. Other people look to the superstars and are inspired. They use the superstars as a template or benchmark and use them as models for what they would like to achieve. They view them as "best practices" and measure themselves against the superstars. Watch a superstar and become discouraged or become encouraged...the choice is yours. Copyright © 2005-2012 Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved. Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps organizations and professionals achieve more success in business, life and sports. He is also the Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association (www.mentalgamecoaching.com), an organization dedicated to advancing the research, development, professionalism and growth of mental game coaching worldwide. He is a multiple Hall-Of-Fame honoree as an athlete, coach and school alumnus, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published book author and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For a free, extensive article archive, or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com. Free Re-Publishing Rights For This Article You have our advance permission to republish this article, as long as you do not sell it. The author's name, web address (MentalGameCoach.com) and copyright notice (Copyright © Bill Cole, MS, MA) must appear in all reprinted articles. If the article appears on a website or in an e-zine, the article must include a link to a page in the MentalGameCoach website. We would also appreciate your including the author's bio and full contact information in your article, although this is not a requirement.