Michael Jordan's thoughts on failure

You can fail a hundred times as long as you can succeed once. Listen to the words of Michael Jordan on failure. He became the best at his game and one of the best sportsmen ever because of his failures.

It is because we fail that we succeed...

Stay on the Rails No Matter What

As a child I loved to immerse myself in Golden Books. I loved the little stories and pictures and would read them over and over again. I held on to most of them and now delight in sharing them with my daughter.

Little Golden Books are just that as they contain within in them little Golden pieces of wisdom. Who ever knew as a child that the words of a golden book held such priceless lessons that could teach us how to live a rewarding, successful and fulfilling life.

I re-discovered some of their pearls of wisdom just yesterday when I was reading to Kalyra the book ‘Tootle.’

Tootle is a baby locomotive who attends a school for engines so he can learn how to be a big locomotive. He attends many classes but the most important is ‘Staying on the Rails No Matter What!’ His instructor is adamant that the trains will never be any good unless they can get 100 A+ in this course. They can afford to ‘spill the soup pulling the diner’ and ‘turning the milk to butter now and then’ but if they come off the rails they fail!

Tootle wanted to be the NY flyer; the fastest train around. He began to work very hard to learn all he could but as time went by he kept getting distracted by all the fun things in the meadow and he would get off the tracks to go play.

Tootle had the makings to be the fastest train on the rails but he just couldn’t stay on them. Despite all his skills and deep desires he just could no help being enticed by the meadow. He began to fail ‘Staying on the Rails No Matter What’ and he was just going nowhere. His dream to be the NY flyer was getting further from becoming a reality.

The people of the village came up with a plan to get Tootle back on track and out of playing in the meadow. Tootle knew he always had to stop at a red flag and so the villagers hid in the meadow and at every turn of Tootle’s playing they held up a red flag and Tootle stopped.

He began to feel frustrated and disappointed in the meadow. How could he have any fun when he constantly had to stop? All the fun was gone and he found himself going around and around in circles. He couldn’t understand why the meadow was such a fine place to begin with and he longed for a green flag to help him get moving again.

Eventually he saw his teacher holding a green flag on the tracks and Tootle raced to get back on track. “This is the place for me” said Tootle. “There is nothing but red flags for locomotives that get off their tracks.”

And of course Tootle then went on to become the famous ‘Two Mile a Minute Flyer!’

What a profound message this story holds for it’s reader. Think carefully about it’s message and how it applies to your life at this moment.                                                                                      

What is it that is in the meadow distracting you from become the ‘fastest train around?’ How do you see these eventually turning into red flags? 

Distractions such as TV, facebook, wii, eating, playing, gossiping, non-productive tasks etc don’t help you to stay on track. Sure they are fun for awhile but eventually you’re going to get lost in this maze of red flags that just keep stopping you from getting to your destination. Pretty soon the fun will be gone and you will be frustrated, longing for a way out.

How are you going to get back on track and Who is going to help you?

Sometimes we need the help of a community and leaders to help us get back on track. Tootle’s community recognized his power, saw he was having difficulty staying focused on his goals and living up to his potential, and so they devised a plan to help show him the cost of his distractions and to get him back on track to becoming great.

My business has phenomenal success because it is founded on this principle. The community of people I work with in my business and the training I receive have taught me how to stay on track, ignore the diversions of the meadow and power on to be the best that I can be. There is always someone waving a green flag to help me just in case that meadow becomes too enticing.

It doesn’t matter how talented you are or how much you say you want something, if you don’t commit 100 A+ to staying on the tracks no matter what then you just aren’t going to go anywhere!

 

Technorati Tags: goal setting,staying focused,teachers,red flags,locomotives,Golden Books,success principles,wealth,achievement,home based business

 

Nike says it best.....Just Do It!

I've been thinking lately of how I could put together a list of success principles based on my travel achievements. I've lived a pretty adventurous, courageous and successful life travelling the globe. You don't do that unless you possess certain qualities and character traits. I wanted to put together something as to how anyone could apply these same principles to other aspects of their life and achieve the same success. Success principles work no matter what avenue you use them for.

I sat down to think about it and put some ideas together when I reached a blank. I thought I would come up immediately with a list I must have had to get me travelling around the world but no list came. I reflected deeply on all the countries I visited, all the experiences I had, the people I formed friendships with and I said to myself "Okay Caroline, how did you do it? How did you have these incredible adventures to 33 countries and live in 5? What was it about you that gave you the ability to do all that?"

My response was "I just did it!" 'I just did it". There is no other answer. Sure there were many other qualities and character traits that gave me the ability to have the experiences but none of them really mattered unless I stepped on to that plane and did it. People always said to me how lucky and brave I was and wished they could do the same. But I never could quite understand where they were coming from because I knew they could do the same. For me it was easy, luck played no part, I just did it. I just stepped on the plane and went and never looked back.

I knew what I wanted and I took ACTION!

Did I possess many strong success traits before I did it? Probably not or none that I was aware of. I was young and immature and didn't know anything about anything. All I knew was that I wanted to travel and so I just did it. I just hopped on that plane and went.

Did I have a lot of money? No I turned up in London with no home, no job and a couple of hundred bucks. That didn't matter, I knew what I wanted and so I just did it!

Did I have much experience? No! It was the first time I had lived away from the safety and security of my parents. My first experience living on my own was in the city of London, knowing no one, with no money. Experience didn't matter, I just did it.

I didn't have support either. I was on my own but I found a lot of support and made great friendships after I just did it!

Did I develop strong character traits along the way that helped me to continue my journeys and grow as a person? Absolutely! I wouldn't be who I am today had I not travelled. It shaped me as an amazingly, strong and confident person. Would I be this person now if I never took the action toward my dream in the first place? No! Thank God, I just did it!

What is it in your life that you want to do or achieve? What is it that is holding you back? Lack of money or experience?- irrelevant. Lack of friends or support?- irrelevant. Wrong timing? No strengths, skills or talents? All irrelevant. You can find a million reasons why you can't do it but that's not going to get you what you want and shape you to be who you want to be. You've got nothing to lose but everything to gain. All that matters is what you want.

Nike said it the best- 'Just do it!' Those 3 simple words speak so much about the call to your action. Just take the first step. All the rest will come later. You're missing out on a wild, fun ride because of your inability to take action. Just do it and success will find you!

Just do it.....

Commit To Excellence

As a teacher, it's always important to have a list of rules and expectations for the children to follow in order to have a productive and successful classroom. Expectations are posted on the board under the heading 'Commit to Excellence.'

These expectations don't just apply to students in the classroom. If you commit to following these, you will be guaranteed success in any endeavour you choose to pursue. Not only that, but you will create in yourself an honest, responsible, and passionate person of high integrity.

Be Accountable and Responsible

Step up to the plate and take ownership of your life and actions. Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done,without complaints. Be accountable for your actions and give up the blame game. Develop the ability to choose and respond to situations, don't react.

Be Prepared

Turn up with what you need to be successful. Do your homework, know what you need to get the task done. Be ready for whatever life might throw at you, anticipate the challenges that lie ahead and have a plan of action at the ready. You'll rarely be taken by surprise.

Honesty is the BEST Policy

It doesn't matter what has happened, if you are honest about it, we can work through it and deal with the matter. A lack of honesty always makes things so much worse. Nothing can be fixed nor changed without first being honest about the situation. You want people to have faith in you and to trust your word. You want to have faith in you also and if you lie, the man in the mirror is just not going to like who he sees staring back.

Always Do Your Best

Mediocre effort produces mediocre results. It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. And if you lose sometimes, but you've given it 110%, then you have won! Success is always yours when you give it your all.

Live with Passion

This is my favorite of the bunch, as it means to just let loose and enjoy life to the fullest in all of its delightful aspects. You will be rewarded with so much joy when you just live with excitement, even about the smallest things. Bound out of bed everyday; greet people with love, enthusiasm and excitement; feel your emotions with intensity; put your whole soul into all you do and try new things without restraint. Your energy will be contagious, people and success will just be drawn to you. Life rewards those who live it!

Are you ready to commit to excellence? It's very easy once you post these simple expectations on your wall. Follow them diligently and there is no outcome other than success and happiness.

Make YOUR Future Bigger than Your Past....

Driving in my car the other day I had an 'aha' moment and finally discovered the reason why my life took a serious nosedive for a couple of years. I could never work out what had gone wrong to make my life turn from near perfect to not so great.

I was utilizing my time by listening to empowering Personal Development CD's rather than crappy radio which only plays a constant stream of ads, DJ dribble and the same songs played over and over again. I'd rather use that time to develop me to make my life outstanding. I was listening to 'The Laws of Lifetime Growth' by Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura and what I heard made all the pieces of the puzzle click into place.

Dan says that to achieve lifetime growth and success you must make your future bigger than your past. A past is rich with experiences that provide raw material for an even bigger and brighter future. Your future is your property; it exists ONLY in your mind, therefore you can choose to make it whatever you like. A bigger future is a vision, an improvement of the qualities of your life now. You have to believe that a bigger future is possible. A bigger future is about what you choose to do with the time you have left.

I suddenly realized my problem and how to fix it. I had been making my past so much bigger than my future and how could I not. I had spent almost 10 years travelling the world. Craig and I spent the first 5 years of our marriage backpacking the globe. We trekked through many countries of Asia, Africa, the UK and America, as well as living in Dublin-Ireland, Bangkok-Thailand, Western Australia and Raleigh-North Carolina. Before that I had lived in London for two years and travelled through Europe.

We lived a total carefree existence. When we were travelling, our future adventures and experiences were always going to be bigger than our last adventure. Life was full of passion, fun and success. And then we decided to return to Australia to 'settle' and without realizing it, our future became very small. How could a life of working just to pay the bills possibly be bigger than our past? It wasn't, and we began to die inside, so we stopped growing and life became very small and meaningless.

I had thought that my fun-filled, adventurous life was over. I stopped believing and dreaming of a bigger future, I couldn't imagine there could be one (the power of a thought). That is the only thing that changed my life; I thought it into that mundane purpose-less existence.

So what do you do? How could I make my future bigger than my incredible past? Simple, think like this "If everything I've done so far is just the beginning, then what is next?"

Whoa!! What a mind shift. You mean that amazing travelling life I lived is just the beginning? Well doesn't that make for an incredible future in store for me! I am just bursting with excitement again. With that very simple shift in thinking, my future is now so so much bigger than my past. It's electrifying. My world is already having dramatic improvements and I am travelling and living life again.

Boy if this ....

...was just the beginning of my future - then My Goodness imagine what my future must now hold for me!! If I created this past before and now I know I can create an even bigger future, than wahoo let's get creating. I am so empowered to live a compeltely full life and all I can now say is

Who's coming with me????

Trump and Kiyosaki Support the Network Marketing Industy

I am constantly gobsmacked by the amount of negative attention the network marketing industry receives. Network marketing allows anyone to have the opportunity to make a lot of money and quickly. It also provides systems, leadership, training, and a community of supportive people who are celebrating you and working with you to help you rise to the top of success. Why wouldn't anyone want to be involved in it? When I think of network marketing I think of freedom, wealth, security, support, self-improvement, success, lifestyle choices and control over my life. I love that I can set my income and work hours and I'm working to receive the benefits not to make one person at the top rich.

Okay so my words might not hold much weight for you. So I"m going to start off with the words of some very influential, wealthy businessmen. A millionaire and a billionaire- both self made. I'm sure you've heard of them, Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump. Now I don't know about you but I usually pay attention when either of them speak as they are where I want to be. They know how to create wealth and the best way to do it.

Donald Trump was on the Dave Letterman show one night and Dave asked him if he lost everything what would he do?....and Trump replied: "I would find a good network marketing company and get to work!".... to which the audience laughed and jeered at him. He then replied to the audience by saying:..."that's why I am up here and you are all sitting down there!"

What I love and respect the most about Donald Trump is that he understands real results takes work and that he always takes full responsibility for his choices in life. Back in the 90's when everything in Real Estate was busting Trump was heavily in debt and was on the brink of failure and bankruptcy. No one gave him a hope of surviving the disaster, no one except Trump.

Trump could have blamed so many things for his dire situation: the economy, bad loans, the real estate industry... but he didn't. Trump blamed himself! He took responsibility for the position he was in and he was there simply because 'he took his eye off the game'. Because he could accept responsibility for his position, he could choose otherwise and he turned his situation around and became the billionaire real estate mogul that he is today.

Too often I hear in the network marketing industry people bad mouthing it because they failed. Legitimate opportunities that can offer someone a more rewarding and fulfilling life are labelled as scams because some individuals entered into it expecting a free ride and weren't willing to put in the work and follow the systems and take responsibility for their success or failures. Network marketing works - just ask Trump or Kiyosaki. If it didn't work for you it's because of the choices you made, accept it and choose otherwise. (Yes there are legitimate scams out there as well and if you got done by one accept that it happened because you didn't do your due diligence and you expected something for nothing).

Robert Kiyosaki gives the best explanation of network marketing and why it's an amazing wealth creation tool. As he explains it, the top of the network marketing industry is NOT like traditional corporate systems which only allows one person to get to the top. The corporate system is really a pyramid as there is very little room at the top for more than one person's success. "Network marketing is a reverse pyramid: it's primary focus is to bring more people to the top. It's a pyramid that pulls you up instead of pushing you down. A network marketing business gives everyone access to what used to be the domain only of the rich".

He also states that you don't make much money unless you help others to be successful as well (wow..People working together.. how revolutionary) and that another beauty of network marketing is that it develops your emotional intelligence and well as your business skills.

Why do people fail in network marketing? Kiyosaki says it's because either you quit too early, or making money is your primary focus when it should be on helping others to become successful.

Well, I am certainly following the advice of these two successful, wealthy businessman on how to create wealth. I'm not listening to Joe Bloe down the road who hasn't managed to get off his comfy couch to create real results. Follow in the footsteps of those you wish to be like.

What do I love the most about this business?

1) The strong, supportive community of like-minded individuals who are cheering me on with every step I make. In the Corporate world do you think you could phone the guy at the top and say

"Hi, I want to be like you, how did you do it, can you help me be as good as you and help me to get there quickly?" Do you think that would be a long conversation?

I have immediate access to self-made millionaires who willingly offer me advice as to how to do the same thing as them, they support, train and encourage me - their success depends on my success! They have a financial interest in me being successful! A true co-operative environment in which success could be the only outcome (if it's not then the only variable is you!)

2) A strong focus on Personal Development and growing as a person. Your income can only grow as much as you do. I work on myself everyday and I'm provided with empowering tools to do so. My life is dramatically improving in all areas. I'm learning how to create the life of my choosing.

3) Very low start up costs in comparison to other business models but with fantastic rewards. It's a fact that many traditional bricks-and-mortar type businesses and franchises can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in starting capital, and typically you may not see a profit for 18-24 months. You can make unbelievable money in Network marketing in a short period of time if you are prepared to do the work and follow the system.

4) A brilliant lifestyle. I can work from home, or anywhere in the world I like that has an Internet connection. I set my own hours and have time and financial freedom to do what I love. I meet people from all around the world and travel to amazing places.

I invite you to think carefully about the advice of Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki. Both are strong supporters of the network marketing industry and know it's the fastest way for anyone to achieve wealth. Now you just have to decide if you have what it takes to be successful in the industry as it works the only variable factor in it is YOU!

As Oprah says "Making a different choice gives you the opportunity to live a different life"