How Old Are You?

Don't count your years. Make your years count

DOREEN MACLEAN, A YOUNG  UP-COMING LEADER.

If we did not know our age, some of us would appear to be very young, and some of us would seem very old. 

Sometimes, people use age as a convenient excuse. "I'm too old to start something new", or, "I couldn't learn that at my age." 

Other people, though, go on to achieve their greatest accomplishments in life in later years.  

Feelings lead to attitudes, attitudes become beliefs, and beliefs become the basis for actions no matter what your age. 

The winning mindset is a fundamental factor in achieving success in life or in business no matter what age you are. This mindset is not created by chance or a flip of the coin. It serves as the foundation of success, conscious growth, wealth, and prosperity. If you want to create a positive mindset, you have to know how it works to help you become the winner. It is not important how old you are; it is how you feel, how you think, and what you do that is important.

People tend to regret the mistakes they have done in the past and strive to protect themselves from the future. This action prevents them from seeing and taking advantage of the amazing opportunities that the PRESENT brings.

There are things in the life that are worth waiting for. However, there are also things that are worth doing right now! Practicing the “Here and Now” mentality allows you to be mindful and conscious.

A "NOW" Mindfulness enables you to focus your attention on the moment. It is a moment-to-moment awareness of the activities that is being practiced in any occasion. It will promote strength, energy, and calmness that are essential in stabilizing everything in life. It doesn't count on your age!!

Practicing the “ Now” mentality requires discipline since it involves engaging in exercises that will improve the capability of an individual to be mindful every day. It also requires removing your attention from the past and the future in times when they are not needed. When focusing on your present life, it is vital that you are aware of the time that you need to accomplish your goals and not about the time that you did not. It would also help if you practice mindfulness when dealing with your emotions, thoughts, and reactions.

Believe in Yourself no matter how young or old you are! You have to believe that you can do anything at your age. You have to trust in your skills, knowledge, and capability when dealing with the challenges that you will face as you tread the path towards success and not your age. 

Today I remember the word from my Great grand father.
"Don't count your years. Make your years count."

ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE SUCCESSFUL

It's all in your ability

Even without your conscious awareness, your current beliefs may be holding you back. Whether you struggle to believe in yourself, your capabilities, or the vast array of limitless possibilities for your life, you may be shutting out the very thoughts that can propel you to the success you desire.

Pause for a moment and answer this question:

Can you really “see” yourself as a confident, successful person?

If you close your eyes and call up an image of yourself, what does that self look like?

Is he or she enthusiastic about life, willing to take risks, eager to grasp the joy and abundance he/she deserves?

Can you imagine this person with endless opportunities for growth and advancement in life?

If you can’t quite “see” yourself as being successful (or at least having the potential to be successful), it is likely that your own beliefs are creating an inner blockage. Unless you turn this around and open your mind to what is possible, you will continue to sabotage your own efforts. Dissolving inner blockages is not as difficult as it may seem. The two main things you need to have are:

1) the willingness to believe something different,
2) the courage to take action on your new beliefs.

The first step requires a large dose of faith when you first begin to shift your beliefs. All of the “evidence” in your life seems to reinforce your current beliefs, right? You believe you are not successful, not confident, not courageous enough to take risks, and perhaps not the “lucky” type of person that finds great opportunities to move forward. If these are your beliefs, your outer life probably “proves” them to be accurate. You may struggle with lack, fear, procrastination, confusion and frustration on a daily basis. Therefore you know your beliefs are “true”. What many people fail to understand is that their beliefs are what create the “evidence” in their lives.

Here is how it usually happens:

As a child, you are naturally confident, optimistic, open-minded and ready to tackle challenges. You’ve got all the potential in the world at this point, and your life is a blank slate, waiting for you to turn it into a masterpiece. Then the negative conditioning begins. You are given conditions and limitations by the adults in your life (whether your parents, teachers, pastor, or other authority figures). These conditions and limitations begin to alter your belief in what is possible for your life. Rather than encouraging your dream of becoming an engineer (or whatever your personal dream is), you are scolded into being more “practical”.

You start to believe that your dream is foolish, and you are foolish for believing in useless fantasies.

Even worse, the adults in your life start attaching limiting labels to you: learning disabled, dumb, unlucky, accident prone, head in the clouds, challenged, sensitive, weak-willed, irresponsible (and sometimes much more damaging ones).

Eventually, after you begin to believe these things, your actions are affected by them. Instead of choosing Path A, you move toward Path B because you just don’t have what it takes to be one of the “elite” in life.

Throughout your lifetime, every decision you make is based on the beliefs you formed as a child and young adult.

Beliefs prompt specific actions which create specific results which reinforce the beliefs.

Changing your limiting beliefs requires a willingness to have faith that you are NOT dumb, challenged, irresponsible, weak-willed, or unlucky even though your experiences thus far seem to have “proven” those things as being true.

But here’s the good news: if you suspend your beliefs and dare to hope that maybe your impressions are false, and once you start taking actions that correspond with more positive beliefs, your results will change!

YOU ARE THE SOLUTION

DON'T JUST THINK. RETHINK TO SOLVE

How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem and that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve. No leads. No options. No solutions.

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you're hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.

But rejoice! There might be some hope yet!

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to the problem. And, you must be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.

Number one;

May be the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral solving the problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.

Not trying to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain any stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.

Number two;

Try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have the words of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

Number three;

Try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that from them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.

Number four;

Although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, tried to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for chinks in the armor of that solution.

Number five;

It pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem.

Number six;

Remember that old adage," two heads are better than one." That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you're talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don't have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better.

Number seven;

Be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.

Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.

Now, next time you see a problem you think you can not solve, think again. The solution might just be staring you right in the face. All it takes is just a little creative thinking, some planning, and a whole lot of work.

REMEMBER:

Understand that most problems are a good sign. Problems indicate that progress is being made, wheels are turning, you are moving toward your goals. Beware when you have no problems. Then you've really got a problem. Problems are like landmarks of progress.

HOW VALUABLE ARE YOU

PEOPLE WOULD RATHER BE SHOWN HOW VALUABLE YOU ARE, NOT TOLD.

Let me tell you a story of two people I worked with three years ago. One achieved success and the other one, well, they did not accomplish what they often talked about. 

Both of these individuals were the same age, and approximate intelligence. Both wanted to progress in their careers, they wanted to climb the ladder of success. 

But, there was on major difference between them. One just talked and complained about not getting ahead while other person took the initiative by taking courses, finding solutions, keeping their attitude positive no matter what the situation. 

Now, three years later, the person who talked and complained is still talking and complaining and still remains in the same position. The person who took the initiative and found solutions has been promoted several times. 

What you have accomplished in the past is a much stronger example than talking about what you are capable of doing in the future.

You probably know people just like the story above. Many of these people may be part of your own family, or friends, or colleagues or acquaintances. Sometimes, it is a matter of helping them with what they seek to achieve while other times it doesn't seem to matter what you do or say. 

Now, if you are one of those individuals who desire to achieve something but do more talking about what you might do as opposed to actually taking action, there are a few things for you to consider doing. 

The first thing to consider is asking yourself a serious question and that question is how badly do you really want your desire to come to reality? If your answer is really only one where you think about achieving your dream but really do not want to go the extra mile, or have a burning and absolute desire, then you do not want it badly enough to mend your ways. 

On the other hand if you want your desire so badly that it is all you ever think about then you have an opportunity. This opportunity must be set into motion or you will end up just like everybody else whom only talks but takes no action. 

My word to you is, Do it now for there is no better time to get into motion than the present.!!

USE IT OR LOSE IT

HOLD FAST TO TIME! USE IT! BE CONSCIOUS OF EACH DAY, EACH HOUR!

You can't take it back, cannot find it again, cannot buy it, steal it, borrow it, or use someone else's. You either have total control or it is gone. Each one of us on this earth has the same amount to start with, to use, or to throw away. Do you know what it is?

It is TIME. We have it to do with as we wish. But, are you really using your time effectively or are you just letting it escape through your fingers like sand through your toes as you walk along the beach?

I have a friend who always complains about not having enough time to start a new business that would allow him to make the break from his normal job, a job that he detests with a passion. But, why doesn't he have time?

He doesn't have the time because he spends too much time at work, is totally involved in family activities when he gets home so there is no time left before bed, and where his weekends are filled with activities that take his every waking hour. If this was the case, I could understand completely why he has no available time to pursue even the planning of a new business. But, sadly, none of this is true.

This is a man who does not spend hours at home participating in all kinds of family activities, nor is this a man who has every waking moment used completely on his weekends. Instead, this is a man who comes home every evening to eat and then to sit in front of the TV for the rest of the evening. He spends his weekends doing nothing but watch TV or visiting with friends. Do you think he has time available?

He has the time available if he chooses to use it. Instead, he chooses to waste it. Does he have a burning desire to actually start planning and taking action to begin a new business? No. And, with his current attitude, do you think he could actually make a go of his business? Unlikely. Why? Simply put is because, to run your own business takes a great deal of effort, and a huge amount of time. Those who actually run their own businesses realize all too well that time is scarce and most of their time goes into all those varied but necessary tasks that cannot be done sitting on the sidelines enjoying yourself.

Time is not your enemy. Passion is the enemy or, I should say, the lack of passion, lack of perseverance, lack of the singular focus necessary to succeed. If you want life to roll by without accomplishing anything you want, simply keep throwing your time away. You will never get it back.

ONLY A FEW WORDS

ENCOURAGING CAN DO MORE

What does it take to help a person move to better performance, or to change a behavior? In a lot of cases it doesn't take as much as you may at first think.

BUT FIRST!LOVE TO LEARN

There are a number of people who love to learn, who would love to find out how to do something but have never had the guidance and, therefore, have little or no confidence to try and do it on their own. 

I had the opportunity over the years to help and to encourage a wide number of people including a lot of my friends in college as well as those who were caught in the Institute justice system on the wrong side of the fence.

Recently, though, I have been able to help a young man become confident in a different way. 

One of my hobbies, over the years, is to help people and Inspire a big number of people all over the world. I trained my self and acquired different disciplines for what I wanted to be. Some of these have been those belonging to friend and family, and some have been my own since I have moved quite frequently. 

With these skills, I have had a wonderful time always enjoying working with people in the fields of my expertise and able to see and use the results of my efforts.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

Confidence is the Assurance or two-thirds of success and Who ever does not respect confidence will never find happiness in their path.

In fact, from my previous experiences building up someone's confidence, was a cakewalk - in other words, a very easy project to take on. 

However, to many people I teach, it appeared to be a huge mountain that they had been asked to climb without the aid of hiking or climbing boots (Including the Young man I mentioned above). 

The truth is that he had never been taught to do much of anything around his home because his parents had never done more than normal to build up his confidence. So, he happen to be unable to even decide how to start the most basic of building his Confidence! 

So, I firstly asked to help him (Our very first talk made me ask him to help him). At first, I didn't really know if he knew anything but not wanting to demean him or insult him, I choose to tackle a project and simply asked him to assist me by doing what I wanted him to do for the sake of becoming what he wanted to be. It didn't take long to find out what he didn't know and What can be the best starting point to help him. 

So, I proceeded to describe what I was planned for his betterment, why he would do it, and the selection of words and process that he would need before he began. Note this from me now! Avery person is a fast learner, eager to understand and learn whatever they can! It depends on how the teacher is perceiving the learner!. 

I immediately noticed a hesitation to do anything I gave him to do even though I started off by doing it myself so he could visually see what the technique or how the tool/language was used properly. 

As he started to engage in the point of mastering the confidence, I calmly mentioned how to correct what he was doing wrong and kept it low keyed and friendly. It was truly amazing to see him respond - less hesitation and with greater confidence. 

Over the next few months, we tackled project (public speaking project) after project with more and more use of techniques with more and more encouragement, and with giving him the lead and me acting as their helper... HE MADE IT!

Now! What does it take to teach someone to do or to be the kind of a person they want to be?

ENCOURAGING CAN DO MORE

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

All it takes is a few words of encouragement - no criticism, only helpful redirection or suggestions. It never takes much if you really care about people, their feelings and armed with the knowledge that we all started somewhere - we were never born masters of anything.

THE JOYS AND EVILS OF EXPECTATIONS

Do you know that Expectations can work for us, or against us??. Expecting the best in every situation keeps us feeling motivated and passionate about our goals. Conversely, expecting immediate results from our efforts can make us feel frustrated and disappointed when it doesn’t happen.

The tricky thing about expectations is that we may not always be aware of them on a conscious level. At some point during the pursuit of our goals we suddenly we find ourselves feeling angry, resentful or weary without a clear reason why. With a little introspection, we realize we’ve been holding unrealistic expectations about our progress, or fearfully expecting the worst in every situation.

Getting clear about your expectations and consciously balancing them, can make your journey to success simple and painless.

How do you consciously balance an expectation? By NOT letting your emotions get attached to any one outcome.

“But wait a minute,” you are probably thinking, “How can we not get attached to an outcome? Isn’t that the whole point of having goals?”

When I say, “not getting attached to a specific outcome” I am not necessarily referring to your ultimate goal, but all the smaller milestones between here and there.

For example, one stumbling block our expectations can cause is related to timing. We crave success so badly that we pin our hopes on making it happen within 6 months (or one day!). If that doesn’t happen, we get angry and feel like a failure.

If we didn’t harbor unrealistic expectations about the timing of our success, we’d still be happily working on our goals. Instead, we sabotage ourselves by expecting too much, too soon.

See the difference? By consciously not getting attached to specific outcomes, you will be able to work consistently and steadily toward a goal, and make the journey much smoother!

This state of detachment can also be beneficial to your ultimate goal. Though you may have an idea of where you want to end up, would you be devastated if you ended up with a different (but equally good - or better) result? Chances are you would still feel an immense amount of satisfaction about your accomplishments.

It takes practice to feel comfortable balancing your expectations, but it gets easier as you go along. Eventually it will be second nature for you to remain optimistic yet realistic which keeps you focused and motivated!

Here’s how to start: with every goal you set, with every action step you take, every challenge you face, ask yourself, “What are my expectations for the outcome of this situation?”

If your expectations seem extreme in either direction (too optimistic or too pessimistic) or too rigid altogether  adjust them accordingly. Only you can say for sure what is considered optimistic or pessimistic for YOU. It depends on your experience, determination, focus, and the magnitude of your goals. Something that would be extremely difficult for me might be a piece of cake for you. Consider your own abilities, set reasonable goals, and strive to challenge yourself  but not to the point where it seems like an exercise in futility and frustration!

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Thank you.