Motivation: The 3 P's That Hold You Back From Success

Do you set your standards high, but always feel like you've failed? Learn about the 3 "P's" and end the vicious cycle that keeps you stuck and ineffective.

The Vicious Cycle

Perfectionism, procrastination, and paralysis - one often leads to the next, in a vicious cycle, especially on large, long-term projects with no clear deadlines. Let's look at each part of this cycle, and explore some concrete steps that you can take to disrupt the cycle.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism can be defined as striving towards impossibly high goals. Perfectionists are caught in a trap, they can never be good enough. They engage in rigid, black or white thinking about their own performance, if it isn't perfect, it's horrible.

Ironically, perfectionists often achieve a product that is far less than perfect. At times, their performance is mediocre. In contrast, those who aim at more realistic goals can outperform the perfectionists. How can this be? The procrastination and paralysis that results from overly high standards causes the perfectionist to wait until it's too late, then rush to do something; anything. The more relaxed realist, in the meantime, is able to put an effort in earlier, over a more prolonged period of time, with more chance to let time and subsequent changes or editing improve the final product.

Procrastination

When you believe that your next project should set the world on fire, you are setting yourself up for failure. At some level you know that this level of achievement is unlikely. You lose your energy and excitement for your project.

On a football field, when the coach yells at the team that they are a bunch of @$#% for playing so poorly, the players may play better. That is because they are enraged at being humiliated and they can use the rage to batter their opponents. This doesn't not work in other spheres! Criticism, whether from your boss or your own inner critical audience slows you down, and interferes with your thinking process.

It is so easy to put off the next step of your project when thinking about it makes you experience unpleasant feelings. So you procrastinate. "I'll get started tomorrow, and work twice as hard." But it's hard for you to ignore the fact that you are not living up to your own high expectations for yourself. "I'm lazy." "I have no will power." As time goes on, you start to grind to a halt.

That leads to the third "P." Paralysis You do absolutely nothing on the very project that is most important to you. This is devastating for your self-esteem, and very discouraging. It's hard to plan your next project when you failed to complete your last one.

How to Avoid the 3 "P's" There are steps that you can take to avoid falling into the vicious cycle of the 3 "P's":

Become aware of the perfectionist audience voices in your head (no, you're not crazy.) You can't learn to ignore them if you don't know that they're talking to you.

Learn how to answer them back (don't do it out loud or people will think you're crazy.) An example would be, “OK it's not my best work but at least I'm finishing it.”

Look for role models who are satisfied with "good enough." Note how they get things done and are not looked down on by others.

Set up realistic goals. One way to tell if a goal is realistic is if you can actually do it. For example, "Read two articles and write for 15 minutes before 5:00 tonight" is a realistic goal. "Read two articles and write for 6 hours and write 10 pages before 5:00 tonight" is not a realistic goal.

If you have reached the third "P," drastic steps are needed. Talk to a trusted friend, find a "project buddy," or seek coaching. Do Not Give Up. It is very possible to get yourself out of the paralyzed state and back to productivity with just a little help.

A Final "P." Or Maybe Two Productivity Start with baby steps. Do a little every day. As you observe your own productivity, however small it may be, you will start to feel better about yourself. You were capable all along – it's just that your unrealistic expectations stopped you from functioning optimally. Eventually your productivity will start to look like Progress. And that's the last "P" for today.

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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The Shocking Truth About How To Increase Your Productivity!

Before I share with you the simple, yet somewhat shocking truth about how to increase your productivity, take a look at the following questions to see how you fare.

Have you ever spent valuable minutes, hours and perhaps in some cases, even days searching for something you misplaced?

Have you ever argued with a loved one or scolded them for misplacing something of his or hers?

Have you ever missed a important date or an appointment because you forgot?

Have you ever been halfway to your destination and remembered you didn't bring what you needed?

Do you have piles of papers scattered on your desk or around the house, or have a stack of unopened and opened mail that you will get to someday?

Do you have that nagging notion constantly telling you to get organized?

Do you find yourself reading books and/or articles on how to get organized?

Have you purchased organizational tools to help you stay on top of things and then never used them?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions you are most likely not organized to the point you would like to be. I have a very simple solution to this problem. This is a tried and proven method to get you organized and eliminate all that wasted time spent trying to get organized. You can read as many books on the subject of organization as you want, and buy all of the tools, but you only need one thing. Let me share with you a little secret.

If you are serious about increasing your productivity and getting results you must get organized. Here is a little secret that my mother taught me when I was a little girl and it still works form me today – every time!!

PUT EVERYTHING BACK WHERE IT BELONGS.

Organization starts with putting everything in its own designated place. It doesn't mean to dump your stuff in a corner of a room designated for that particular item, but instead having a clean, and uncluttered area in which you can find the things you need in an instant.

It doesn't take a lot of work to get your life organized, but it does take dedicated effort to make it a habit. Here are just a few ideas that can help you become better organized.

Write your appointments and important dates in a designated calendar as soon as you are aware of them. You can also use the calendar application on your cell phone, as well as several online free reminders services, or your email calendar, in order to remind you of upcoming dates and appointments.

Develop a method to quickly and easily navigate through your mail. I often open up my mail in front of my paper shredder. Make three piles of mail in the following category - important, interesting, and trash. If the item is important it will need your immediate attention. Examples of important items are incoming bills, membership dues, and life, health, auto, and home insurances. Interesting items include magazines, and other pieces of mail that you would like to read a bit further. The trash pile is self-explanatory.

Designate an entire day to create "stations" for your stuff. I did this with my craft items and am quite pleased with how fast can find what I need.

Increasing your productivity starts with the habit of consistent organization. If you want to achieve massive results in your life you must learn to be organized. An organized life is not only a peaceful life, but more importantly, it is a successful life.

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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3 Power Traits of Highly Successful People

I don’t know about you, but I am always on the lookout for success tips and strategies that can help me to accelerate success in my life. And in my own life, one of my favorite things to do is to read biographies about a variety of highly successful people; people past and present who have achieved great things in their life time. As I study these people I jot down their insights and beliefs in an attempt to unlock their personal strategy for success.

Throughout my study I have narrowed down 3 three power traits or habits that all highly successful people have:

1. Never give up. Perseverance is the number one power trait of highly successful people. To never give up means to stay focused on what it is that you want to achieve in life and to not quit. This means to keep at it and to always move forward no matter what challenges you may face along the way. The dominant attitude of highly successful people is this: I will always advance forward one more time even if the road towards success appears bumpy or difficult to navigate.

Jack Canfield says, “Whatever your dream is don’t give up. You may have to fine tune it . . . learn some new skills, or go back to the drawing board and start over . . . but don’t give up.”

2. Ignore the ‘good opinions’ of others. Highly successful people do not worry what other people think about their dream or goal. Stay true to what it is that you want to achieve. Your dream or goal is specifically yours, and as a result, no one has the right to tell you what they think you should do or not do in relation to what it is that you want.

The truth is that most people feel threatened when someone they know are attempting to break out of the box of mediocrity. When they see others attempting to trade in a life of mediocrity for a life of success and fulfillment, they recognize their own failures, shortcomings, and regrets in life and are then quick to judge and criticize others.

When I first began studying personal development and success thirty years ago I received a fabulous piece of wisdom at a goal setting workshop I attended. The advice I was given was to keep your heartfelt goals a secret, because the only person you need to approve of your success is you!

I applied this sage piece of wisdom in my own life immediately; because at that particular time in my life, I was surrounded by negative people who were content with the status quo. I then began to covertly set and achieve my success goals on a routine basis unencumbered by negativity and I felt totally free! The results in my life were absolutely liberating because in doing so I was able to navigate my way towards my personal best without carrying the emotional baggage of others.

It all comes down to this, when you become less concerned with what other people think, you will open the door to much greater opportunities for success and abundance in any area of life you choose.

3. Take 110% responsibility for your life. Highly successful people take absolute control over their lives and know that blame has got to go. Statistics show that 70% of the people on this planet blame others for their failures in life. Instead of pulling up their boot straps and trying again, they give up, and blame their mom, their dad, the environment, the economy, etc.

As soon as you buy into the blame game, you get knocked off the winner’s platform of victory. You place yourself in a losing situation because you are depending on the outside world to be successful and happy.

Highly successful people realize that success is created from the inside out. This means that you need to take responsibility for what you think, what you visualize, and what you say and do; because these are the things that control your life experience.

I love what my mentor and teacher Tony Robbins says about your governing your inner life for success and achievement. “It all comes down to the inner game. Changing your life is an inner game. You can’t always control what is going on in the outside life, but you can take control of what is going on in your inner life.”

Your success is closer than you think. Apply these 3 power traits of highly successful people in your life starting today and not only begin to achieve your personal best, but also experience the satisfaction of living the life of your dreams.


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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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Highly Effective Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination

In this day and age we are so inundated with choice and opportunity that you might even say that we are spoiled for choice. There is just so much that we could do that we often end up not doing anything at all. Procrastination is one of the biggest dream killers. In a world where there is so much demand on your attention it is becoming ever more difficult to stay focused and act on the things that would truly give you an extraordinary quality of life. Time is, was and will always be your most valuable asset and the way you use it will determine what you create or fail to create with and for your life. Having an effective strategy for overcoming procrastination is critical if you truly want to push past short term obstacles to create a life of fulfillment.

The abundance that modern life offers us tends to overwhelm us which leads to an emotional overload that will distract you and scatter your effort and concentration. There simply isn't enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time for the most important things in your life. Success at anything in life, whether it be your finances, your relationships or your body, requires an investment of time and effort from you. You need to focus and concentrate your physical and emotional resources on creating a desired result.

The first step in overcoming procrastination it to get really clear on exactly what you want from every area of your life. This clarity will give you the power to look past distractions that may throw you off course. It gives you a direction and a target and will help to build a mental picture for your life. One of the most destructive effects of procrastination is that it makes you feel out of control; like the events of your life is controlling you. If you don't know what you want it is all too easy to jump from the one task to the next. Apart from knowing what you want you should also develop some strong reasons why you want it. This will give you a sense of purpose and motivation that is critical for staying focused long term.

The truth is that most people know what they need to do to create their life the way they want it. The challenge is not with knowing what to do, but in doing what you know. The only way you will create any result in your life is by taking action and procrastination is what prevents you from acting on the very things you know would give you a greater quality of life. The reason why people procrastinate is primarily because of fear, especially fear of failure. By not taking action and postponing important actions you avoid the potential for failing. The only reason why you procrastinate about anything is because at some level you link more pain to taking action than to not taking action. The ridiculous truth is that these "links" are mostly conjured up (by you) in your mind and they are not even real. When you make a task too big in your mind it will overwhelm you and it would seem too difficult and too big and you will end up procrastinating.

One of the most powerful strategies for overcoming procrastination is to learn how to break your tasks up into bite size pieces. Any task, no matter how big can be broken down into small manageable tasks that is easy to do. If you focus on climbing Mount Everest it will probably put you off immediately, but if you focus on climbing seven small mountain sections it becomes more believable. The power of chunking down your "big" tasks empowers you to take back control of any overwhelming situation – you cut it down to size. Your size.

One of the quickest ways to overcoming procrastination is to learn and utilize the power of immediacy. What can you do immediately? What action can you take right now that will move you closer to your goal? Doing something, no matter how small, will immediately break your mental pattern of procrastination and put you back in control. Taking the first step, even if it is small will create momentum and you will almost automatically be driven to take another step. Don't wait for everything to be perfect before you take the first step. Just do it. Just get it going. Often you will only know what to do next after taking that first step.

There are many strategies and skills you can use for overcoming procrastination. You don not have to be stuck or spinning your wheels. Like any skill you need to learn and practice it until you get good at it. Eventually it will become an automatic response and you will develop the habit of taking action despite your fears and apparent limitations.


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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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The Power of Patience and Persistence

I watched this afternoon as a young child waited patiently with his mother in a crowded Costco line for 20 minutes - for a slice of pizza, and I was impressed. When I was his age I had very little patience. If I wanted something, I wanted it then, and I wanted now.

This sort of “I want it now, now, now!” attitude stuck with me as I graduated from college causing my now ex-husband and I to drain our savings and our credit cards in order to enjoy a lifestyle that was way beyond our means. In the end our impatience to have it right now cost us a good credit score and resulted in filing for bankruptcy, notwithstanding a divorce a few years later.

Although it was a painful situation at the time I learned a valuable lesson and emerged wiser and with a more appreciative view of the power of patience and persistence.

Of course I know that I am not the only I’m not the only one with an “I want it, and I want it now!” mentality. People of all ages fall into this category of either wanting it all now, or wanting it without having to work for it. Impatience is costly. Not only can it lead to debt and start a cycle of unnecessary consumption and lifestyle inflation, but also impatience robs you of your drive and passion to enjoy the journey of progressive success and accomplishment.

The Power of Patience and Persistence

Of course, patience alone and persistence doesn’t always guarantee success in any particular area of your life, but it definitely increases your odds. Here are just a few of the ways patience can help you achieve your heartfelt goals:

• Patience and persistence allows you to not only notice opportunities but also to take advantage of them. I am sure you have heard the expression, ‘good things happen to those who wait.’ If you’re willing to forge the successful life you have always dreamed of step-by-step, instead of trying to force it, you will encounter opportunities that you may have overlooked if you were trying to sloppily rush towards achieving your goals.

• Patience and persistence increases your self-esteem. If you are really passionate about wanting to achieve something in your life, you will take pride in the process. I don’t know about you, but my heart soars as I focus on my daily action plan of success. With each step of my accomplishment not only does my self-discipline increase, but also my confidence in completing my project, as well as my self-esteem.

• Patience and persistence helps you to focus on what is important in life. In my experience, and perhaps in yours as well, I have noticed that as I age, my values change. Patience and persistence allows you to assess those things that really matter to you, and to practice focusing on those things and enjoying them. It is the pull of the pleasure of consistently pursuing your goals, spending quality time with the people you love, and just plain enjoying the beauty of life that keeps you engaged in life today – not the allure of climbing the corporate ladder.

• Patience and persistence keeps you focused on your goal. By utilizing a simple plan of action, patience and persistence keeps you disciplined and focused on what needs to be done next in terms of achieving your dream or goal. It means focusing on first things first, and not on those things that are either time wasters, or those things that have nothing to do with your goal at all. It means living your life your way by keeping your eyes focused on the prize of achievement.

The power of patience and persistence go hand in hand. If you can learn the value of patience and persistence, the world will open up to you. Remember, anything worth achieving in life is worth taking your time to do it in such a way that you enjoy all of the virtues of your focused passion, and keeping at it until you get your desired result. Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that can have patience, can have what he wills.”

## If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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How to Master Your Time with These 3 Simple Steps

Time management is one of the least mastered and most desired skills in our fast-paced modern world. To be successful at life, to have, and be everything that you desire, learning the art of time management crucial.

What can you do to double your time management skills?  Here are 3 things you can begin to do starting today:

1.  Eliminate time wasters in your life. Time wasters are things that interrupt you and you spend time doing, but you wouldn't have chosen to do them given the choice. Eliminating these time wasters is critical for time management:

Email---If you are spending more than 30 minutes per day on email (unless that is your business) you are spending too much!

Telephone---If you answer the phone live more than 5 times per day during your productive time (work, work at home, etc.) you are sacrificing time management and efficiency. When you answer the phone, you interrupt your current productive flow and this kills your productivity.

Television---This must be limited for you to achieve ultimate control over your time. My recommendation is 30 minutes per day, especially if you are not getting all the things done you need or want to.

2.  Make a list of what is genuinely important in your life and just start doing the things on your list.  One of the keys to time management is prioritization---you absolutely must know what you want to accomplish and then go do it. Today's world has too many distractions and when you allow those distractions to become priority, you sacrifice time management. Follow these steps:

Make of list of what you want to accomplish

Set time frames for accomplishing each item

Organize each item in order of importance

Create a game plan for achieving each of your goals in its respective time frame

3.  Begin to focus on time management throughout the course of the day. Your consistent focus must be on managing your time. Once you have determined your goals and your priorities, start focusing on simply getting those things done. If something isn't on your goals list for this week - don't do it until all your goals are done. When you prioritize every interruption that occurs and put your goals last, you will not accomplish your goals. Instead, you will be a slave (as you probably are now) to interruptions and probably feel like you never accomplish enough.

Learning the skill of time management is truly is critical to becoming successful, doing everything you want to, and achieving ultimate success. Begin to apply one or more of these steps into our daily management program starting today and enjoy the benefits of having more time play at life!

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If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources.  Like us on Facebook!

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3 Little Known Secrets for Increased Productivity

Whether you have a business that is based out of your home, or if you want to maximize your efforts at your job, there are 3 basic concepts that will ensure your success.

By learning about and embracing these 3 simple and free success techniques you will not only increase your productivity, but you will maintain your sanity as well!

Scheduling

Yes, you are busy. Everyone is busy these days. From stay at home parents who raise children full-time, all the way up through CEO's of billion dollar companies, everyone is busy. However, everyone has the same 24 hours every day to get things done, so keep that in mind if you have the habit of thinking that your situation is different from anyone else's.

When it comes to scheduling all of the things that are on your daily or weekly to-do list, writing down the master list of things that you want to accomplish is the absolutely critical first step.

The reason why writing down everything on your to-do list is so important is because until you write it down, you probably don't have a true grasp over just how many things you are trying to do every day!

Write down every single thing that you do that takes even 5 minutes of your time. Your list could include, but will hardly be limited to, things such as:

Personal - Sleep schedule, taking breaks, practicing personal hygiene, eating, talking on the phone, dealing with children, spending time with your family, running errands, surfing the Internet, exercising, etc.

Professional - Daily and weekly work tasks, answering email, product development, marketing, research, taking care of your website, tending to customer service, going to meetings, travel time, dealing with other employees, etc.

Once you have your list of things that you need to get done every day or every week, then you need take a REALISTIC look at how much time you have to dedicate to each of those activities.

Realism

It is critical that you write down how much time you actually spend on each of your tasks. Don't set yourself up for failure by underestimating how time much you truly spend on the things that you do regularly.

For example, if you actually spend 4 hours per day reading and replying to email, but you find that number shocking, don't schedule only 2 hours per day to work on email.

If your travel time is 60 minutes of actual driving, but then also includes a 30 minute window in the morning and again in the evening during which you get back and forth to your car, start up or shut down your work area, chitchat with other employees, etc., then you have to include that in your schedule.

Being realistic about the many things that take up time everyday is the hardest part for most people. We find it difficult to believe that out of an 8 or 10 hour work day, that so much of that time is spent NOT working, so we tend to mentally block out the things that are not productive.

Here is the thing to remember, though: Whether you are being productive or not, the clock is still ticking. You might be amazed at how much time you spend each day NOT accomplishing the tasks that are in front of you.

Perseverance

Scheduling your time and being realistic about how long it takes to get things done is only the beginning. Realizing that you have many things to do every day and that you could clean up your productivity habits is simply not enough to effect change.

You have to consistently "stick to your guns" and follow through on whatever plans you come up with in order to increase your productivity.

If you are going to leave your house 30 minutes earlier in order to beat the traffic rush, only doing so occasionally is not going to net you any serious amount of additional time over the long term.

Avoiding chatty coworkers in the break room one day, but carrying on a 20 minute conversation with them the next day is only going to serve to cancel out your efforts.

At home, avoiding the home based distractions every Monday and Tuesday, but then slacking on your resolve to be more productive by the end of the week will not allow you the cumulative benefits of your efforts.

Regardless of what systems that you put in place in order to increase your productivity, follow the 3 basic rules that were just mentioned, and you will achieve long term success:

Schedule your time, be realistic about what you have to do each day and how long it takes, and stick to a good plan of action to start increasing your productivity. Not only will these habits increase your productivity, but they will also increase your success in life!

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If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources.

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