Life
10 Ways to Avoid Being a Yes Man
Do you stop what you are doing to assist a coworker with advice or a problem? Do you answer your phone on the first ring…every time? Does your schedule look like a tangled web of events that all blend into one giant mess? Do you always feel tired and can comfortably say you are “burning your candle from both ends?”
If you answered yes to all of these questions, then you are the epitome of a yes man. Last time I checked, “yes man” is not in suffix category on an application; therefore, it’s not a term that should define you.
Essentially, a “yes man” is a people-pleaser. You tend to always put others’ needs before you own, at your own expense. It’s not a glamorous job. Unfortunately, becoming a people-pleaser is actually a dangerous path, as it can affect your physical, mental and social well-being.
We have probably said yes more than enough times and it has caused us stress. However, if you feel that you are saying “yes” without even blinking an eye like Jim Carrey, maybe it’s time to reevaluate how you view your options.
Say no. Easier said than done, right? If you want to change how you live your life, start by making your own decisions.
Below are 10 great ways to start you on the path to your own success and happiness.
The Power of “No”: 10 Ways to Avoid Being a Yes Man
1. The Power of Choice
Many people struggle with addiction. Believe it or not, saying yes to everything is also an addiction. Often times, our guilt, fear and anxiety rule our minds when we say no. It’s like going through a sort of withdrawal. You crave the need to please everyone, no matter the cost.
Much like coping with an alcohol addiction, the first step is recognizing that you have a problem. In this case, recognize that you have a choice. You can say “yes” or “no.” Instead of feeling trapped, consider other options and weigh what is best for your well-being.
2. Know Your Priorities
Put yourself first. This may seem like a selfish notion, but in actuality, you are practicing living a healthy lifestyle. Consider what the most important thing for you to focus your energy on and give it all you’ve got.
Make a list of tasks or schedule some downtime and follow-through with your plan. You’ll feel more satisfied and rejuvenated.
3. Think Before You Answer
Most questions or favors asked of you do not require immediate attention. If they do, see if the timing is appropriate for you and determine if you need to be directly involved. It’s okay to tell your friend or colleague that you need some time to think about it. You’ll grant yourself the chance to step away from the immediacy and pressure and have time to evaluate the pros and cons of your decision.
4. Embrace a Mantra
Develop a saying that you repeat over and over to yourself. It can remind you to say no or consider your priorities first. Make sure that your message is positive and only propels you forward. Envision your mantra multiple times every day, and before you know it, this practice will become a good habit.
5. Don’t Fall on the Defense
You don’t need to provide an excuse or reason to defend your decision. More often than not, your reason is your own business.
Like a mother telling their child, “because I said so,” is answer enough. You were given free will. Embrace it.
6. Never Apologize
This isn’t a “get out of jail free” card. If you were at fault, of course you need to apologize. However, this goes for the yes men that say sorry for every decision they make. Don’t feel the need to feel guilt about your decision. This will only promote anxiety and unwanted stress.
7. Develop an Assertive Tone
Going along with never saying you’re sorry (unless there’s reason), be confident with your choices. Remind yourself that you have a good head on your shoulders and you will weigh your decisions and logically sort through what is best for you. Once you decide, go confident in your answer and remain firm. No backsliding.
8. See the Good in Saying “No”
Don’t always see saying “no” as letting down another person. See it as an opportunity to do something to make you happy and focus on your wants and needs. You will start to notice your schedule will slowly clear up.
9. Don’t Be Afraid of the Aftermath
Never dwell on what people think about your decision. Chances are they’ve moved on before you have. Fixating on your answer will cause you to stress and worry too much. Let it go.
10. You are Only Human
At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone. So, instead of trying to be a superhero, try to assess your priorities and put yourself first.
Feature Image originally appeared on: AceShowBiz
I recently watched a compilation of SpaceX fails, and instantly came to the conclusion that the audacity of private space travel is both compelling and unsettling. I was a kid when the Challenger space shuttle exploded with a civilian on board and like most people at the time, I assumed space travel should be reserved for the government establishment.
Elon Musk, however, views the topic quite differently. Like other forward-thinkers, he adapts to a constantly changing landscape of political, financial, and technical dynamics that would overwhelm the vast majority of humanity. That same ability to adapt and remain sharp resides in you. You may not realize it, but by applying a few tactics, you can remain sharp in your arena of influence, no matter how much it shifts and changes.
Here are 5 tactics to make sure you stay sharp no matter what:
1. Fail Frequently
Every true expert in any field will tell you that failure is a major component to success. Thomas Edison took the sentiment a step further and said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” To stay sharp in a shifting environment, you must learn to fail frequently. In doing so, you maintain pace with changes in your environment and adjust your methods, thinking, and implementations to accommodate unpredictability, rather than avoid it. If you’re not willing to fail, you are incapable of success.
2. Embrace the Suck
I have a good friend who is an ultramarathon runner, and noticed she was wearing a hat that said, “Embrace The Suck.” Since I’m a former cross-country runner, I instantly understood the reference: “it’s gonna hurt, but go after it anyway.” How many of us embrace the lack of stability that comes with changing environments? Sadly, most of us do not. We complain, we blame, and we excuse the fact that we never stabilize.
What if we instead embraced the changes? What if we learned to accept the fact that business (and life) is always changing, and it’s a false reality to believe that anything is truly static? When we embrace the suck, we change our psychology. We come to grips with fluctuating terrain as a requisite component of growth. And when that happens, we are able to gain stability in the most uncertain environments. Sailors call it getting your sea legs.
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” – Henry Ford
3. Read a Lot
People like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Mark Cuban, as well as most CEOs, read about 50 books per year. In fact, when asked about how he learned to make rockets, Elon Musk claimed he learned from “reading books.” Innovation is always predicated on existing knowledge, and existing knowledge is most often solidified in books. If you want to learn to adapt to shifting environments, you must build a foundation of knowledge that comes from spending a lot of time reading.
Study after study affirms this point. Reading can be accomplished in many ways, and part of remaining sharp requires you to diversify your input. I read about 30 books last year, but I also read several hundred articles, studies, and blog posts. Books tend to provide structural or foundational information, while articles, studies, and blog posts tend to apply knowledge. You need both to succeed in uncertainty.
4. Practice the Uncertain
I remember my first few years practicing law and I often envied attorneys who did personal injury work. In my view, they learned one area of law really well, performed the same tasks every day, the same way, for the same reason, hoping for the same outcome. Then there was me, being asked to advise or draft contracts for situations that had no framework or precedent.
Most of the time, it felt like being dropped out of an airplane into the jungle each morning, having no idea who I would encounter, what they would need, or why they needed it. I learned to adapt by doing the work, which became my practice. There’s an interesting thing that happens when you face uncertainty on a consistent basis: you become comfortable with it.
To this day, I may not know what type of client will walk in my door, or what they will need from me, but I can guarantee that I have practiced enough to have my own framework of reference for how to help a person move forward in whatever circumstances they face. I do this daily in my legal and consulting practices, but you can do this wherever you’re situated.
“Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.” – Peter McWilliams
5. Visualize the Process
There are times when no panorama exists for what you are facing, and no amount of failing, reading, or embracing will prepare you for the uncertainty you need to conquer. In situations like that, visualization can be the key to progress. Visualization, however, can feel awkward and it’s important to visualize the process before the outcome.
Start where you first encounter the problem and how you might interact with it. Look around (within your visualization) and notice if there are people or other assets available to impact the situation. Visualize yourself dealing with the situation one way and then another. Try many approaches and see if any of them work within your visualization.
The goal here is for your brain to start developing mental pathways towards success, and by visualizing your encounters with uncertainty, your brain collects hypothetical experience. I’ve used this tool with my consulting clients many times to help them process through shifting circumstances.
As an entrepreneur, business owner, CEO, or other leader, you possess the ability to adapt. It may not always feel like it, but it’s innate and simply needs to be activated. When you find yourself troubled by shifting circumstances, take a deep breath and look forward, knowing you now have some tools to navigate.
How to you navigate through uncertainty? Let us know by commenting below!
There are strategies which bring together all happy and successful people who can also use them to improve the quality of your life. Usually when you want to change your life, you don’t know where to start and you risk losing the motivation because you don’t know the best strategies to apply. To change your life forever you have to change yourself. If you want to achieve extraordinary results, you must become an extraordinary person.
Here are 30 ways you can change your life today:
1. Face your fears, first the smallest, then the greatest.
2. Transform gratitude into a daily and constant mood. This will allow you to change your life.
3. Be conscious in every moment of what you think, feel, desire and do. Be Present. Do the exercises of “Remembering yourself” all year round.
4. Engage in realizing your dreams, creating a monthly plan with daily actions to accomplish them.
5. Decide what person you want to become, create a purpose that will guide your life and your days.
6. Practice observing thoughts, without identifying yourself with them.
7. Make your power supply healthier.
8. Read more books and take part in several courses and seminars.
9. Always out of the ordinary, do not imitate the mass.
10. Make gentle gestures to people you don’t know.
11. Imagine yourself while you have realized your dreams.
12. Take more time to be alone and get to know you better.
13. Live with the awareness that nothing is yours, everything is a gift.
14. Stop complaining; stop complaining; stop complaining.
15. Help others with the example.
16. Smile and laugh more often, even without reason.
17. Stay for a longer time in contact with nature.
18. Think, talk and act as the person you want to become.
19. Be punctual and if you make a mistake, please apologize.
20. Say thank you for each gift, learn to receive.
21. Change a habit or recurring reaction.
22. Take responsibility for the successes and failures you achieve, never point your finger at someone else.
23. Admire and bless more often.
24. Strive to perceive perfection and beauty in everything that happens to you.
25. Inwardly love your enemies, even if you don’t talk to them externally.
26. Learn a musical instrument or a new language.
27. Keep promises made.
28. During a difficult period ask yourself “What can I learn from this situation”?
29. Do more often what is right and less what is convenient for you.
30. Change your way of thinking.
If you want to change your life forever, you must act as if you were already the person you want to become. Take action as if you were already sure of yourself, and see what beliefs are held by successful people, great leaders, the best in your industry and those who get great results.
Listening to them, spend time with them, try to understand what they think, how they see each other, and what they think about their activity. Read the books of those who get the same results that you want to achieve, listen to their interviews, read their autobiographies, and find out what their mental attitude is.
All successful people have similar beliefs
I’ll tell you a secret: There is no greater psychological strength than the need we have to remain consistent with our own identity; to remain consistent with who we believe we are. What does that mean? Simple, that everything that anything I put after the words “I am:…” becomes reality.
If you think you are shy, you will do everything you can to act accordingly. If you believe you are extroverted, you will give everything to act accordingly. Listen and pay attention to what you add after the words “I am…”. If you don’t believe you can achieve your goals beyond the objective difficulties, you won’t be able to do it anyway: you will be the first cause of your failure.
Which one of these 30 strategies will you implement in your life today? Let us know in the comments below!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
It’s time for some good news! You’re only ever lacking in three areas and guess what? You can turn those 3 things around relatively easily and quickly!
It’s easy to get caught up thinking, that you’re miles behind, that you can’t find your flow or mojo or that you’re just lazy and unmotivated. The good news is you are only a few decisions, actions and days away from finding your mojo again!
Here are 3 things you need to look at when you’re feeling down and out:
1. Energy levels
The first place to look when you lose your mojo is your energy levels. What are you eating & drinking? Are you eating lean, green and light? If you aren’t already, cut your intake down and focus on hydrating your body with water and eating fresh organic food. Being light on your feet and energizing your body is most important.
Also, take a look at your exercise regime. Are you exercising for energy or are you burning your body out at the gym? Make sure you are getting good consistent rest every night and don’t forget to spend some time alone in nature connecting with your inner most self.
“You just got to wake up with a smile and love every minute of building your dream.” – Joe Duncan
2. Production levels
The second place to look is your production levels or more so, your lack of production! Are you producing enough work or activity to get the results you want? That’s usually the real cause of most of your problems; a lack of work, effort and momentum. In many cases a lack of production stems from a lack of energy – but hey, we’re working on that right?
3. Confidence levels
The third place to look when you’re floundering is your confidence levels. But don’t panic, we all lose our confidence from time to time. When you lose your confidence and your sense of certainty, everything else will be impacted, especially your performance.
The best way to get your confidence back is to go back to basics for a few days and try and build some momentum and get your flow back. You lose your confidence when you lose your self belief, so do the simple things you know you can do well, then you’ll start to believe in your ability again!
“You won’t always get it right, but that doesn’t mean you’re never going to get it right.” – Joe Duncan
It’s time to get your mojo back and get back in the game. Remember next time when you get stuck you only have to make adjustments in these three areas and most likely they will only be small tweaks and changes that need to be implemented.
Click here if you are having trouble finding your flow, lost motivation and need some help to get back on your feet!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
I struggled with many aspects of life early on such as growing up in challenging circumstances and getting bullied at school. I read my first self-development book at 13 and attended many courses and workshops, but nothing I encountered made the difference for me. It was only once I found a set of energetic processes and tools which I now use in my life and my work that I was able to turn things around.
Today, I get to write for you about my experiences, run a thriving mentoring and healing practice and travel to attend classes and events.
Here are some of the things I’ve done/learned along the way:
1. I took responsibility for my actions
I believe we attract all our experiences in order to learn from them. It is tough when we go through things we don’t know how to handle and experience pain, fear and anxiety as a result.
This leaves us many emotions to release and a skill gap to bridge, which if done right, allows us to develop a level of confidence about how to turn experience into awareness and integrate our learning into wisdom for future ease and higher outcomes.
For me, learning to let go was hard (we are not taught this and I kept feeling like I had to hold onto things to protect myself). After a while, I came to the decision that “It’s not what’s happened to me, it’s how I deal with it that matters”.
Choosing from this space was empowering and allowed me to move from regret and develop a sense of purpose from my experiences.
2. I jumped off the cliff without a parachute and became inspired and trusting on the way down
I had gotten to the point where if I stayed where I was, I would die. I didn’t know how my life would look or who I would become in the process of changing, yet I knew if I was going to survive I had to become a radically different version of me.
Once I made that decision, I found the tools I was looking for that were relatable, fun and powerful. I began to change my thoughts, feelings and emotions and way of viewing the world.
After a while, instead of using personal development to escape the pain of my life, I became addicted to pursuing the highest version of myself and curious how much change and transformation I could create. I was having fun!
I began to ask what was possible for me I’d never imagined and realized that who I actually am is completely different from who I had thought I wanted to become. I discovered my soul purpose was connected to my inner work and my years of struggle and transformation meant that I had something valuable to offer others.
“What we are waiting for is not as important as what happens to us while we are waiting. Trust the process.” – Mandy Hale
3. I had the unshakeable belief something else was possible
As growth, healing, and expansion became my highest goal, the details filled themselves in. The right people and things showed up to trigger my growth and to support me which helped me be less fearful, and more able to give and receive love from others.
I lost layers of accumulated emotional garbage and started to connect with my power and purpose. I stopped telling my victim story (except to inspire others) and I began to trust myself and have faith in life again to have my back.
4. I made heaps of mistakes and instead of feeling bad about it, I felt determined, courageous and free
This part was tough. There were setbacks, embarrassments, discouragements and challenges but I wasn’t going to give in and quit.
I had to suck at some things in order to get better. Creating a new life from scratch is a great way to lose ego. There were a few hurdles where I would get super upset, yet giving up was never an option.
There’s no point in being upset so I sucked it up and moved on. This takes courage and feels totally weird at first, but it is so worth it.
5. I became a new version of me
In the course of recreating myself, I began to develop new attributes. I was so focusing on changing, I didn’t notice what was different about me at first.
Every few months I would write my goals and it wasn’t until I would check them that I began to realize how much I’d accomplished in the process of changing me.
This became clearer whenever I would run across someone who I once looked up to because their life suddenly looked smaller than I remembered. While they had been comfortable and barely moving, I had plodded past them like the proverbial tortoise. As I stay on this trajectory, the benefits and changes multiply exponentially over time.
“Every day, you reinvent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: forward or backward.” – James Altucher
6. I became open to new ideas and concepts
In the process of being cracked wide open by life, I became curious, accepting and interested in different ideas, concepts and techniques.
Things like manifesting, consciousness, spirituality and other ‘strange’ ideas became my friends. After years of trying to create change via psychological means, effort, willpower and implementing traditional tools of personal development, I found my wheelhouse in the different.
Today I am grateful for my early adversity and my own persistence and determination. Without them, who I am today would have remained undiscovered and I wouldn’t get to do the cool stuff I do with other people. I am grateful for the amazing tools and information around today, which can make the journey so much easier.
What helps you keep moving when you feel like giving up? Let us know in the comments below!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
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Why I Had to Drop My Superman Complex and Hire a Marketing Genius
For many years I had the Superman Complex. I thought I could handle every aspect of my business, no one could do it better than me, I knew it all and if anyone else put their hands on it, they would stuff it up. I credited much of my business success to the fact that I had done a lot of it myself. The truth was, I had achieved a lot in the first few years utilizing my own skills and creative ignorance, but as the Addicted2Success brand sky rocketed so did the demands for new levels of execution.
So I hired 3 awesome individuals: Tyler, Armando & Joe to help with content management and administration and it wasn’t long after this that I discovered that in order for Addicted2Success and the community to reach the level of impact it deserved I would need to find a marketing analytics and SEO development guy.
That was when I decided to give Joseph Lazukin a shot.
At only 25 years old, this college dropout turned whiz kid has been making a name in all the right circles, and out of good humor and fun, I decided to put Joseph to the test here at Addicted2Success to see if the rumors were true, and here were the results…
Within two weeks of working with Joseph, he doubled our site traffic and increased our revenue by nearly 300%, while at the same time ranking Addicted2Success.com for more keywords than our closest competitor.
Here is our SEO graph :
After having such a massive impact, I decided to interview Joseph and pick his brain on the advice he had for up and coming entrepreneurs struggling to market their businesses, and to also share an exciting announcement to all of our A2S readers…
So what do you ask a million dollar consultant? I had a few ideas, and I think you’ll enjoy the golden nuggets we extracted out of our conversation below:
“What is the biggest mistake you see business owners making today, and what is your advice on how to prevent our readers from making the same mistake?”
The biggest mistakes I see business owners making today is when it comes to social media, hiring the right talent, and technology. Almost every company I’ve ever come across, whether client or a big brand name like Best Buy, Sears, or even Dell, I notice they have all not placed their Facebook pixel or even set up their Google Analytics correctly to make informed decisions, yet they’re spending millions of dollars a year marketing on these social platforms.
I’ve never seen such a waste of revenue, because even the slightest change to the way they integrate those two elements of their digital marketing strategy, would save them millions in annual spend.
It may sound crazy, but what almost every business owner including Fortune500 business owners and CMOs do not know, is that a growing majority of traffic coming through popular ad networks is bot traffic.
It’s why Facebook was sued a few years ago when a questionable amount of traffic was thought to be bot traffic, and why Google just issued a refund to advertisers.
In fact, bot traffic has become such an issue that by 2025 it’s expected to cost advertisers $50BN USD, which I can send you a link to later, and by the simple fact that these major companies aren’t implementing policies to protect against bot traffic, is tell tale that companies are in desperate need of outside consultants to help educate and help them understand the landscape and risks of marketing in the digital age.
Small tweaks, have saved my clients millions of dollars on ad spend, whether it was in the form of implementing services like Siphon to block and potentially get rebates on that bot traffic or simply delaying their tracking pixels to avoid click jackers, bots, and other nefarious traffic sources from being lumped into retargeting campaigns, and increasing CPAs (cost per action). It’s a 10 minute fix, that has a profound effect, but nobody is doing it!
Analytics showing bot traffic detected by Siphon on a Facebook™ ads campaign
“Every day we see increasing amounts of click fraud coming into our client’s websites, with some clients seeing as little as 8% with their AdWords or up to 40% on Facebook campaigns. This problem is only getting worse and anyone who doesn’t make the effort to stop it on their accounts is throwing money away. “
– Richard Seppala (CEO of Siphon)
Analytics showing bot traffic detected by Siphon on a Google Adwords™ campaign
As for anyone reading this who is looking into marketing online, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is that you need to be diligent and learn how to read and interpret data. Everything moves a lot quicker in the digital world than it does in the real world, one day you could be at the top of page one on Google or getting a 20x return on ad spend, and the next day an update can come out that wipes away your profits and offsets your quarterly projections. A year in the real world is like four years or seven years on the internet, staying stagnant and not adapting to new marketing practices is dangerous, and in the coming years we’ll see a lot of the big name brands get disrupted if they don’t adapt before another more agile competitor essentially takes their lunch.
“Wow! That was a lot of advice jumbled into one answer, so if I am understanding you right, advertisers are paying more because of bot traffic and they aren’t even aware of it? Or even how to fix it?”
Yes, and I actually have posted about the subject a few times on social media as well as fixes on how to prevent bot traffic from eating away at your margins. One of the biggest discoveries I made recently is when I ran “Engagement” based ads on Facebook vs “Traffic” based ads, and saw a huge disparity between the number of clicks that were being reported and the number of clicks that were being counted by Google Analytics and other 3rd party platforms.
Now I totally understand that there will always be some percentage of drop off, because of people becoming impatient due to load time, and that every analytics platform counts viewers differently, however all things considered when I ran a split test between the two ad types and the number of clicks reported, I saw a much greater disparity in the number of clicks reported by “Traffic” based ads, than I did with “Engagement” based ads, and I’m not talking a few percentage points, I’m talking upwards of 20%, and when I shared my findings, I was turned onto Siphon and other services that have sprung up in the industry that track bot traffic and are accredited for helping customers receive refunds from major ad networks like Facebook and Google and can issue copies of your traffic logs that you can then hand over to your ad network and receive a refund on that malicious traffic.
“Woah! So you can get a refund on your ad traffic?”
Yeah a certain percentage of it, but I would highly recommend companies implement best practices and try to prevent the malicious traffic in the first place.
“That makes sense, it’s better to prevent it than ask for a refund. So what other mistakes have you seen business owners making?”
Honestly, there is a pretty long list of things, but the main thing that businesses hire me for that has been possibly the biggest pain point, would have to be customer experience and follow up on cart abandonment.
So let’s say there is an e-com store that is doing around $10M a year, based on the universal industry average that 2 out of every 3 people abandon their cart, there will be around $20M in cart abandonment. That is an incredible amount of money, and those are not cold leads either, they are warm, they have already been to your site, experienced your brand, and yet when I ask most company owners and CMOs where their marketing dollars are being spent, it’s not on converting this low hanging fruit, it’s on bringing in more hard earned, cold leads.
It is a little insane to me, but hopefully that trend will start to shift as companies continue to adapt with consumer trends, and improve end to end customer experience.
“Interesting, so is that what you do, or what exactly is it that you do?”
I have worn a lot of hats, but most notably I am known as a CRO (conversion rate optimization) specialist. So for example, I’ll come into an e-com or SaaS business that is doing $10M a year in sales, that has $20M in cart abandonment like I mentioned previously, and I’ll use a handful of strategies to recoup around 30% or $6M of those abandoned sales. That is what I am mainly hired for these days, but on the other hand, I can also come in and optimize a site from a technical level so that it ranks significantly higher on Google and other search engines, like I did for Addicted2Success.
It really depends on what the client needs, but mostly companies hire me to recover abandoned cart sales, and put more points on the board to make investors happy. Recently however, I’ve been hired directly by investment groups to speed up their return on investment in the companies they’ve invested in by auditing their portfolios, launching growth hacking campaigns, and implementing the marketing strategies I have bulletproofed across several industries.
Often times, the difference between profitability and ending the year on a deficit could be as simple as implementing a bot filter like I mentioned above, tweaking your site structure to index better on Google, or implementing a solid cart abandonment strategy. If you have ever read Think & Grow Rich and the chapter about being 3 feet from gold, that is where most of the businesses are at when they approach me, I help them achieve those last 3 feet by shifting, optimizing, and re-aligning their marketing efforts.
“That is a really interesting perspective, I myself am a huge fan of Think & Grow Rich and I couldn’t agree with you more a lot of businesses often are on the edge of greatness and may need that fresh pair of eyes and outside perspective or consultant like you to help them achieve it. So all of this is really amazing, and I am glad to make the following announcement, but before I do, where can our readers follow or get in touch with you if they want to learn more about marketing and about what you do?”
The easiest way to follow me would frankly be on Facebook via my personal profile and for anyone interested in learning more about marketing and the strategies I implement for my clients, then joining my strategic marketing group will give you the greatest insight. I cover everything from paid advertising to SEO to social media hacks I use on client campaigns, and every other week I jump in and do a one hour live Q&A where you can ask me anything about marketing or about how to solve a problem you’re experiencing in your business. It’s something of a side project of mine, and although I could charge significantly more for the information I share, I wanted to make it expensive enough for people to pay attention and take action on the content, but low enough for any small businesses, startup, or business professional to be able to afford it.
“That’s a great way to give back, so I guess that leaves us with the big announcement you’ve all been waiting for…”
After working with Joseph and seeing his work ethic and simple dedication to the craft, we are excited to announce that we have brought him in as a permanent partner here at Addicted2Success!
So to all of our followers here at Addicted2Success, please give Joseph Lazukin a warm welcome to our A2S family! We look forward to the growth and expansion of A2S under his direction and the lives we will touch as we continue to grow the world’s #1 site for motivation and inspiration!
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yo yo yo l like your article…being a people pleaser will always leave your with anxiety. l have been there before but now lm more than a confident person. Thanks for sharing with us this article you the best dont stop writing!
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Great article Savannah. I think that we can all relate to most of your points. I think that knowing your priorities is the first step in saying know effectively. If we know where we are headed, we can make better choices on when to say no. I really liked your point about seeing the good in saying no. I will keep that in mind the next time someone asks me to do something that is not a good fit with my priorities.
Thanks again Savannah!
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“When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying NO to yourself!” YES! YES ! AND YES!
I recently watched a compilation of SpaceX fails, and instantly came to the conclusion that the audacity of private space travel is both compelling and unsettling. I was a kid when the Challenger space shuttle exploded with a civilian on board and like most people at the time, I assumed space travel should be reserved for the government establishment.
Elon Musk, however, views the topic quite differently. Like other forward-thinkers, he adapts to a constantly changing landscape of political, financial, and technical dynamics that would overwhelm the vast majority of humanity. That same ability to adapt and remain sharp resides in you. You may not realize it, but by applying a few tactics, you can remain sharp in your arena of influence, no matter how much it shifts and changes.
Here are 5 tactics to make sure you stay sharp no matter what:
1. Fail Frequently
Every true expert in any field will tell you that failure is a major component to success. Thomas Edison took the sentiment a step further and said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” To stay sharp in a shifting environment, you must learn to fail frequently. In doing so, you maintain pace with changes in your environment and adjust your methods, thinking, and implementations to accommodate unpredictability, rather than avoid it. If you’re not willing to fail, you are incapable of success.
2. Embrace the Suck
I have a good friend who is an ultramarathon runner, and noticed she was wearing a hat that said, “Embrace The Suck.” Since I’m a former cross-country runner, I instantly understood the reference: “it’s gonna hurt, but go after it anyway.” How many of us embrace the lack of stability that comes with changing environments? Sadly, most of us do not. We complain, we blame, and we excuse the fact that we never stabilize.
What if we instead embraced the changes? What if we learned to accept the fact that business (and life) is always changing, and it’s a false reality to believe that anything is truly static? When we embrace the suck, we change our psychology. We come to grips with fluctuating terrain as a requisite component of growth. And when that happens, we are able to gain stability in the most uncertain environments. Sailors call it getting your sea legs.
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” – Henry Ford
3. Read a Lot
People like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Mark Cuban, as well as most CEOs, read about 50 books per year. In fact, when asked about how he learned to make rockets, Elon Musk claimed he learned from “reading books.” Innovation is always predicated on existing knowledge, and existing knowledge is most often solidified in books. If you want to learn to adapt to shifting environments, you must build a foundation of knowledge that comes from spending a lot of time reading.
Study after study affirms this point. Reading can be accomplished in many ways, and part of remaining sharp requires you to diversify your input. I read about 30 books last year, but I also read several hundred articles, studies, and blog posts. Books tend to provide structural or foundational information, while articles, studies, and blog posts tend to apply knowledge. You need both to succeed in uncertainty.
4. Practice the Uncertain
I remember my first few years practicing law and I often envied attorneys who did personal injury work. In my view, they learned one area of law really well, performed the same tasks every day, the same way, for the same reason, hoping for the same outcome. Then there was me, being asked to advise or draft contracts for situations that had no framework or precedent.
Most of the time, it felt like being dropped out of an airplane into the jungle each morning, having no idea who I would encounter, what they would need, or why they needed it. I learned to adapt by doing the work, which became my practice. There’s an interesting thing that happens when you face uncertainty on a consistent basis: you become comfortable with it.
To this day, I may not know what type of client will walk in my door, or what they will need from me, but I can guarantee that I have practiced enough to have my own framework of reference for how to help a person move forward in whatever circumstances they face. I do this daily in my legal and consulting practices, but you can do this wherever you’re situated.
“Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.” – Peter McWilliams
5. Visualize the Process
There are times when no panorama exists for what you are facing, and no amount of failing, reading, or embracing will prepare you for the uncertainty you need to conquer. In situations like that, visualization can be the key to progress. Visualization, however, can feel awkward and it’s important to visualize the process before the outcome.
Start where you first encounter the problem and how you might interact with it. Look around (within your visualization) and notice if there are people or other assets available to impact the situation. Visualize yourself dealing with the situation one way and then another. Try many approaches and see if any of them work within your visualization.
The goal here is for your brain to start developing mental pathways towards success, and by visualizing your encounters with uncertainty, your brain collects hypothetical experience. I’ve used this tool with my consulting clients many times to help them process through shifting circumstances.
As an entrepreneur, business owner, CEO, or other leader, you possess the ability to adapt. It may not always feel like it, but it’s innate and simply needs to be activated. When you find yourself troubled by shifting circumstances, take a deep breath and look forward, knowing you now have some tools to navigate.
How to you navigate through uncertainty? Let us know by commenting below!
There are strategies which bring together all happy and successful people who can also use them to improve the quality of your life. Usually when you want to change your life, you don’t know where to start and you risk losing the motivation because you don’t know the best strategies to apply. To change your life forever you have to change yourself. If you want to achieve extraordinary results, you must become an extraordinary person.
Here are 30 ways you can change your life today:
1. Face your fears, first the smallest, then the greatest.
2. Transform gratitude into a daily and constant mood. This will allow you to change your life.
3. Be conscious in every moment of what you think, feel, desire and do. Be Present. Do the exercises of “Remembering yourself” all year round.
4. Engage in realizing your dreams, creating a monthly plan with daily actions to accomplish them.
5. Decide what person you want to become, create a purpose that will guide your life and your days.
6. Practice observing thoughts, without identifying yourself with them.
7. Make your power supply healthier.
8. Read more books and take part in several courses and seminars.
9. Always out of the ordinary, do not imitate the mass.
10. Make gentle gestures to people you don’t know.
11. Imagine yourself while you have realized your dreams.
12. Take more time to be alone and get to know you better.
13. Live with the awareness that nothing is yours, everything is a gift.
14. Stop complaining; stop complaining; stop complaining.
15. Help others with the example.
16. Smile and laugh more often, even without reason.
17. Stay for a longer time in contact with nature.
18. Think, talk and act as the person you want to become.
19. Be punctual and if you make a mistake, please apologize.
20. Say thank you for each gift, learn to receive.
21. Change a habit or recurring reaction.
22. Take responsibility for the successes and failures you achieve, never point your finger at someone else.
23. Admire and bless more often.
24. Strive to perceive perfection and beauty in everything that happens to you.
25. Inwardly love your enemies, even if you don’t talk to them externally.
26. Learn a musical instrument or a new language.
27. Keep promises made.
28. During a difficult period ask yourself “What can I learn from this situation”?
29. Do more often what is right and less what is convenient for you.
30. Change your way of thinking.
If you want to change your life forever, you must act as if you were already the person you want to become. Take action as if you were already sure of yourself, and see what beliefs are held by successful people, great leaders, the best in your industry and those who get great results.
Listening to them, spend time with them, try to understand what they think, how they see each other, and what they think about their activity. Read the books of those who get the same results that you want to achieve, listen to their interviews, read their autobiographies, and find out what their mental attitude is.
All successful people have similar beliefs
I’ll tell you a secret: There is no greater psychological strength than the need we have to remain consistent with our own identity; to remain consistent with who we believe we are. What does that mean? Simple, that everything that anything I put after the words “I am:…” becomes reality.
If you think you are shy, you will do everything you can to act accordingly. If you believe you are extroverted, you will give everything to act accordingly. Listen and pay attention to what you add after the words “I am…”. If you don’t believe you can achieve your goals beyond the objective difficulties, you won’t be able to do it anyway: you will be the first cause of your failure.
Which one of these 30 strategies will you implement in your life today? Let us know in the comments below!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
It’s time for some good news! You’re only ever lacking in three areas and guess what? You can turn those 3 things around relatively easily and quickly!
It’s easy to get caught up thinking, that you’re miles behind, that you can’t find your flow or mojo or that you’re just lazy and unmotivated. The good news is you are only a few decisions, actions and days away from finding your mojo again!
Here are 3 things you need to look at when you’re feeling down and out:
1. Energy levels
The first place to look when you lose your mojo is your energy levels. What are you eating & drinking? Are you eating lean, green and light? If you aren’t already, cut your intake down and focus on hydrating your body with water and eating fresh organic food. Being light on your feet and energizing your body is most important.
Also, take a look at your exercise regime. Are you exercising for energy or are you burning your body out at the gym? Make sure you are getting good consistent rest every night and don’t forget to spend some time alone in nature connecting with your inner most self.
“You just got to wake up with a smile and love every minute of building your dream.” – Joe Duncan
2. Production levels
The second place to look is your production levels or more so, your lack of production! Are you producing enough work or activity to get the results you want? That’s usually the real cause of most of your problems; a lack of work, effort and momentum. In many cases a lack of production stems from a lack of energy – but hey, we’re working on that right?
3. Confidence levels
The third place to look when you’re floundering is your confidence levels. But don’t panic, we all lose our confidence from time to time. When you lose your confidence and your sense of certainty, everything else will be impacted, especially your performance.
The best way to get your confidence back is to go back to basics for a few days and try and build some momentum and get your flow back. You lose your confidence when you lose your self belief, so do the simple things you know you can do well, then you’ll start to believe in your ability again!
“You won’t always get it right, but that doesn’t mean you’re never going to get it right.” – Joe Duncan
It’s time to get your mojo back and get back in the game. Remember next time when you get stuck you only have to make adjustments in these three areas and most likely they will only be small tweaks and changes that need to be implemented.
Click here if you are having trouble finding your flow, lost motivation and need some help to get back on your feet!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
I struggled with many aspects of life early on such as growing up in challenging circumstances and getting bullied at school. I read my first self-development book at 13 and attended many courses and workshops, but nothing I encountered made the difference for me. It was only once I found a set of energetic processes and tools which I now use in my life and my work that I was able to turn things around.
Today, I get to write for you about my experiences, run a thriving mentoring and healing practice and travel to attend classes and events.
Here are some of the things I’ve done/learned along the way:
1. I took responsibility for my actions
I believe we attract all our experiences in order to learn from them. It is tough when we go through things we don’t know how to handle and experience pain, fear and anxiety as a result.
This leaves us many emotions to release and a skill gap to bridge, which if done right, allows us to develop a level of confidence about how to turn experience into awareness and integrate our learning into wisdom for future ease and higher outcomes.
For me, learning to let go was hard (we are not taught this and I kept feeling like I had to hold onto things to protect myself). After a while, I came to the decision that “It’s not what’s happened to me, it’s how I deal with it that matters”.
Choosing from this space was empowering and allowed me to move from regret and develop a sense of purpose from my experiences.
2. I jumped off the cliff without a parachute and became inspired and trusting on the way down
I had gotten to the point where if I stayed where I was, I would die. I didn’t know how my life would look or who I would become in the process of changing, yet I knew if I was going to survive I had to become a radically different version of me.
Once I made that decision, I found the tools I was looking for that were relatable, fun and powerful. I began to change my thoughts, feelings and emotions and way of viewing the world.
After a while, instead of using personal development to escape the pain of my life, I became addicted to pursuing the highest version of myself and curious how much change and transformation I could create. I was having fun!
I began to ask what was possible for me I’d never imagined and realized that who I actually am is completely different from who I had thought I wanted to become. I discovered my soul purpose was connected to my inner work and my years of struggle and transformation meant that I had something valuable to offer others.
“What we are waiting for is not as important as what happens to us while we are waiting. Trust the process.” – Mandy Hale
3. I had the unshakeable belief something else was possible
As growth, healing, and expansion became my highest goal, the details filled themselves in. The right people and things showed up to trigger my growth and to support me which helped me be less fearful, and more able to give and receive love from others.
I lost layers of accumulated emotional garbage and started to connect with my power and purpose. I stopped telling my victim story (except to inspire others) and I began to trust myself and have faith in life again to have my back.
4. I made heaps of mistakes and instead of feeling bad about it, I felt determined, courageous and free
This part was tough. There were setbacks, embarrassments, discouragements and challenges but I wasn’t going to give in and quit.
I had to suck at some things in order to get better. Creating a new life from scratch is a great way to lose ego. There were a few hurdles where I would get super upset, yet giving up was never an option.
There’s no point in being upset so I sucked it up and moved on. This takes courage and feels totally weird at first, but it is so worth it.
5. I became a new version of me
In the course of recreating myself, I began to develop new attributes. I was so focusing on changing, I didn’t notice what was different about me at first.
Every few months I would write my goals and it wasn’t until I would check them that I began to realize how much I’d accomplished in the process of changing me.
This became clearer whenever I would run across someone who I once looked up to because their life suddenly looked smaller than I remembered. While they had been comfortable and barely moving, I had plodded past them like the proverbial tortoise. As I stay on this trajectory, the benefits and changes multiply exponentially over time.
“Every day, you reinvent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: forward or backward.” – James Altucher
6. I became open to new ideas and concepts
In the process of being cracked wide open by life, I became curious, accepting and interested in different ideas, concepts and techniques.
Things like manifesting, consciousness, spirituality and other ‘strange’ ideas became my friends. After years of trying to create change via psychological means, effort, willpower and implementing traditional tools of personal development, I found my wheelhouse in the different.
Today I am grateful for my early adversity and my own persistence and determination. Without them, who I am today would have remained undiscovered and I wouldn’t get to do the cool stuff I do with other people. I am grateful for the amazing tools and information around today, which can make the journey so much easier.
What helps you keep moving when you feel like giving up? Let us know in the comments below!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
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Wan Muhammad Zulfikri Wan Yusoff
May 3, 2014 at 10:59 am
“At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone.”
Sums it all up. Nice post btw.
Ndyebo Makeleni
May 3, 2014 at 5:32 am
Wow! That’s true
George Zhoya
Apr 28, 2014 at 7:23 pm
yo yo yo l like your article…being a people pleaser will always leave your with anxiety. l have been there before but now lm more than a confident person. Thanks for sharing with us this article you the best dont stop writing!
Steve Spring
Apr 28, 2014 at 11:36 am
Great article Savannah. I think that we can all relate to most of your points. I think that knowing your priorities is the first step in saying know effectively. If we know where we are headed, we can make better choices on when to say no. I really liked your point about seeing the good in saying no. I will keep that in mind the next time someone asks me to do something that is not a good fit with my priorities.
Thanks again Savannah!
Everyday Power
Apr 28, 2014 at 9:23 am
“When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying NO to yourself!” YES! YES ! AND YES!