Thursday, March 22, 2012

Become 100% Committed to Your Commitments

[Note: Before I forget, my next 4-Week Accelerated Coaching Program starts in a few weeks...are you ready for BIG transformation results in your career? Achieve your dream biz goal in just weeks, space is limited so check it out now! Here's to your success! ~Alex]




"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
Leonardo da Vinci


As a practicing Catholic, I have been known to give up one or two things for the season of Lent before Easter, 40 days of sacrificing some thing as a way to honor the life and death of Jesus. Many people give up meat on Fridays, and others give up sweets or alcohol. 

Well in true over-achiever style, I gave up all three! Not that it wasn't a challenge, because it was. But I gave myself one little out... this year the Lenten season fell during my birthday, St. Patrick's Day, a bachelorette party and a few other important events, so I decided to allow myself *one* glass of wine per week. 

At first it was easy, because I savored my one weekly glass. But toward the third week I noticed my one pour becoming steadily larger. And toward the fifth week it had nearly become *one* bottomless glass. 

What happened is that since I broke once ("well it's just one tiny drop more"), it became easier to continue to break until the lines became blurred between one glass and three!

If we compare this to our own lives, how many times have we committed to do something--OR not do something--and found ourselves cheating a little bit. Slowly we cheat more and more until we no longer have any firm commitment or take any solid action. Then we get lazy and before we know it we forgot what we promised to do in the first place. 

In some cases, when we commit to other people, say to call them back or deliver on service, and we do not follow through, we begin to procrastinate. Procrastination can lead to guilt which can turn to overwhelm about the action. That's the point that we either get paralyzed from taking any action altogether, or alternatively fall off the wagon and drink the whole bottle of wine. 

This happens A LOT! With both important and minor things. Remember the last few times that this happened to you? What were you going through at the time? Had the terror barrier hit you?

The lesson from today's article is to forgive yourself when you've fallen off the wagon. Don't let guilt paralyze you! Get back up and continue to ride toward your goals or commitments. It feels a thousand times better to swallow your pride and keep your promises even if it's late (remember "better late than never"?), than to feel the guilt and paralysis from inaction.  

*A tip of the hat to Jack Canfield's Success Principles, where I first read about 100% commitment. 


Read more about  taking action and overcoming obstacles in Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM). This e-book success program presents 12 crucial strategies for success, starting with your inner purpose, and designed to motivate you to set and reach your goals, overcome obstacles and ultimately lead your life as a Masterpiece!

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Thursday, March 8, 2012

What is Living as Your Highest Self?

[Note: Before I forget, my next 4-Week Accelerated Coaching Program starts in a few weeks...are you ready for BIG transformation results in your career? Achieve your dream biz goal in just weeks, space is limited so check it out now! Here's to your success! ~Alex]



"Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle" 
~Michelangelo 

One of my oldest and dearest friends, Christine, is an all-around successful person. Not only is she beautiful, funny and smart, but she's got a wonderful family, two gorgeous kids, and is excelling at her profession. 

She has consistently been nominated or named Employee of the Year for her industry, and has been awarded numerous times. She loves what she does and her coworkers, employers and clients love her. This year she even won a new car and had her face plastered on a billboard on a major thoroughfare so everyone driving by could see she is the best at what she does. 

So what does Christine do? 

She's a history teacher, and at a public middle school no less.

Talk about dedication to her craft and profession! Admittedly, when I was in college there was no way I would have ever become a teacher. I felt like that was too unambitious, too unprofessional.

Growing up, though, I was often a tutor earning my spending/summer money from helping other kids in reading and math. In fact, what do I do now? I teach! I provide training seminars and webinars and write books and articles, all to teach. And I continue to mentor, coach and "tutor" other professionals and business owners every day.

Christine is proving every year that you can love what you do do and be very successful doing it...that goes for anything you do, including being a public school teacher. Plus she's making a difference every day!

So to impart my wisdom in this article, the moral of this story is to be the best you can be in any chosen profession or endeavor you encounter. Choose to live as your highest self in all areas of your life! 

One day you may even become: "[FILL IN THE BLANK] of the Year"!!


You can read more about becoming your "highest self" in Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM). This e-book program presents 12 crucial strategies for success, starting with your inner purpose, and designed to motivate you to set and reach your goals, overcome obstacles and ultimately lead your life as a Masterpiece!

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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Coming Back from Financial Mistakes

"Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again."
~Vincent van Gogh

I stumbled upon a very interesting article from a few months ago... it was talking about how a charity auction raised $2.35 million for someone to have lunch with Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest men in the world. 

So I looked up Buffet’s life via Wikipedia and found out he started buying stock in Berkshire Hathaway in 1962, which at that time was heavy in the textile industry. Eventually, Buffett acknowledged that the textile business was floundering and the company's financial situation was not going to improve. In 1964, the CEO of the company made a verbal tender offer of $11-12 per share for the company to buy back Buffett's shares, which Buffett agreed to. A few weeks later, Buffett received the tender offer in writing, but the offer was for only $11-38 (it was only 1/8 less than the original offer). Buffett later admitted that this lower, undercutting offer made him angry. Instead of selling at the slightly lower price, Buffett decided to buy more of the stock to take control of the company and fire the CEO, which he did. However, this put Buffett in a situation where he was now majority owner of a textile business that was failing. 

In 2010, Buffett claimed that purchasing Berkshire Hathaway was the biggest investment mistake he had ever made, and claimed that it had denied him compounded investment returns of about $200 billion over the previous 45 years. Buffett figures that had he invested that money directly in insurance businesses instead of buying out Berkshire Hathaway (due to what he perceived as a slight by an individual), those investments would have paid off several hundredfold.  

Can you imagine...$200 Billion!?

The moral of this story is that sometimes we make mistakes in our personal or business life. We choose bad investments, we leave money on the table. We let our egos or our pride get the best of us. It’s okay! Learn from your mistakes. Pick up the pieces where you are now and move forward.

You too can still become a billionaire!


You can read more about Business and Finances in Ch. 9 of the success program Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM). This e-book program presents 12 crucial strategies for success, starting with your inner purpose, and designed to motivate you to set and reach your goals, overcome obstacles and ultimately lead your Masterpiece life!

For more FREE tips and strategies and to get instant access to the "12 Secrets to Success Strategies" video with more great insight from Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM), sign up now:
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