Author Archive | Richard

This works for any big ticket item you are selling one-on-one. For example, maybe you sell SEO services to brick and mortar businesses. Or perhaps you sell coaching over the phone to people who got a free 20 minute session with you.

This works in print as well, but it works even better when you’re actually talking to the person.

Let’s say you sell list building systems to local businesses. You’ve sat down with them, explained exactly what you can do for them and they’re excited. “How much do you charge?” they want to know.

Let’s say you charge $1,000 a month for the service. Tell them you normally charge $2,000, and explain why your service is a tremendous deal at that price. Then tell them that if they will allow you to use them as a case study, you will knock that price in half.

Here’s the beauty of this system:

First, you’ve already primed them for a higher price, so when you offer the lower price, they’re actually relieved and much more likely to say yes.

Second, in the back of their mind they’re thinking, “If s/he is using my business as a case study, that means s/he’s going to work extra hard to get good results.” Which makes perfect sense, because you wouldn’t want a case study that failed.

Third, you can use these case studies to bring in new clients. For example, let’s say you performed a service for a plumber. Now you can contact plumbers in other cities and show them the exact results you achieved in that first plumbing business.

When they see these specific results, they are much more likely to sign on.

The same goes for any other service you provide to local businesses, professionals, coaching clients, etc.

Show them your ‘regular’ price, then offer the option of getting a reduced price in exchange for allowing you to use them as a case study.

One caveat: In the case of personal coaching (versus business coaching) you might want to change their name in your case study to protect your client’s privacy.

Apply these simple tips to selling your marketing and coaching services, and you’ll find it much easier to land new clients.

Here’s how to make your content timely, highly relevant and super hot, every single time.

Let’s face it – online marketing is and always will be about selling stuff to people. Simple.

The techniques might change (somewhat) and the methods we use become more refined, but it’s still all about selling products and services people need or want.

Keeping that in mind, it’s very simple to write a series of reports on all of the basics.

For example: “How to start a Facebook Fan Page and get 1,000 fans interacting with your product.”

“How to build a profitable list of 10,000 people in 3 months.”

“How to create products, how to drive traffic, how to use social media, etc.”

You get the idea.

Now then, here’s the trick to making your content super timely and hot:

Watch the news.

See what the latest brew-ha-ha in marketing is.

For example, did Google make yet another change that threw website owners for a loop?

Then your ‘how to drive traffic’ report can be repurposed into: “How to Drive as Much Traffic as you Want without Google”

Did Facebook make major changes to their advertising policy?

Repurpose your Facebook Fan Page report into, “How to Get All the Facebook Leads You Want WITHOUT Buying Facebook Ads”

Or for your, “How to make a product” report, you could take the latest marketing trend and write something like this: “5 Products [New Trend] Users are Screaming for That You Can Make in 2 Days.”

In each case, you’ll just go into your Word file, update your document with the new title, add or change the bits specific to the current news or trend, and you’ve got a hot selling new product to offer.

Place it on Warrior, JVZoo, etc. Either promote it to your list, or buy enough traffic to get some sales. Your goal is to get noticed by the affiliates, and from there it’s Profit City for you and your evergreen content.

The beauty of this system isn’t just that you can repurpose your best content over and over again.

When news of a marketing change or new trend hits, you can get your highly relevant product to market almost overnight, filling a market gap practically the moment it’s created.

Plus, isn’t it wonderful to continue getting paid for content you wrote once, and only need to modify to make it highly relevant again?

One more tip: If you don’t like to write, you can always search for PLR. Then update and tweak it to make it relevant to what’s happening now.

Some people need to build a full time income in their business before they can feel comfortable leaving their jobs. Perhaps they have a family and mortgage, and they need to know their income is solid before taking the plunge to full time.

Others have to leave their jobs before they’ll get busy and start their business. For them, they need the ‘sink or swim terror’ to inspire them to take massive action.

No matter which camp you fall into, here’s what’s true for nearly everyone:

Your reason ‘why’ isn’t just a nice thing to have – it’s crucial for your success. The bigger your reason ‘why’ when you’re starting your own business, the more likely you will stick to it and do whatever it takes to succeed.

To make your fledgling business a success, you need massive, undistracted action. For example, consider taking a week off from work, moving into a motel room away from all distractions, and creating your own product and sales funnel.

If you don’t know how to do something, you have 2 choices: A: Learn to do it yourself. This takes time and will often derail any momentum you had. For some, it will mean putting off starting the business for weeks and even months. B: Outsource that sucker and move on.

Nearly everyone does better, accomplishes more and reaches success faster if they get a coach. Just sayin’.

Once you taste success, you will never go back. I’ve almost never seen someone make money in their new business and then drop the whole thing to go back to a job. Once that fire is lit, there really is no turning back.

Having your own business is not only financially freeing, it also instills a sense of self confidence that enhances almost every other aspect of your life.

Starting your own business means overcoming your related fears, whatever those might be. Once you achieve success, you’ll find you’re able to overcome even greater fears and accomplish more than you dared hope back when you were safely enslaved. Errr… I mean employed.

If there’s a bottom line to this, it’s this: Decide what you’re going to do. Give yourself a deadline. Then move heaven and earth to get it done, and you will succeed.

Henry Ford taught us that to simplify the manufacture of automobiles, that the best way to do so was to install the assembly line. That one change revolutionized the auto manufacturing industry permitting the industry to build cars at a cost that would allow the average person to afford one.

The lesson we should take from this is that having the ability to improve the process of getting the job quicker and cheaper, without compromising the quality of the job being done, will help catapult the person who simplified the process to the top of his/her field.

Pennies saved in your home business can turn into dollars at the end of the day, and dollars can quickly multiply into hundreds or thousands of dollars over time.

Doubt me if you will, but let me ask you a question. Do you think a saving of two fifths of a penny could make any real difference in the profit margin of a home business? Of course the right answer is “it depends on how many transactions are done in a year, utilizing the savings of the two fifths of one penny.”

You only have to think back a couple of decades to really appreciate this question. Do you remember the nut that lived and died in a Las Vegas hotel room? You know the one who was a billionaire, and was so worried about germs that he died of starvation? If you guessed Howard Hughes (1905-76), pat yourself on the back.

Now Howard did not make all of his money on his two fifths of one penny. He did however make a ton of money from his two fifths of one penny. It seems Howard owned a can manufacturing company. And one day, Howard’s team figured out how they could make one minor change in the design of their food can to reduce the amount of tin necessary to make a single can.

As the story goes — if my memory serves me correctly — the reduction in tin usage equaled a saving of two fifths of one penny per can. Howard — being the really smart businessman that he was — decided that he would not be so greedy as to keep all of the savings for himself. What Mr. Hughes did was to keep half of the savings for himself, and give the other half to his customers. The incredible thing about Mr. Hughes decision is that by saving his customers an extra one fifths of one cent per can, he managed to take more market share away from his competition — netting his company an additional and substantial portion of the total market share in the canning industry.

Let us return our thoughts to your home business. Have you ever gotten the feeling of excitement — when you read something or thought of something — that you could not wait to implement this new idea? This could be one of those moments…

In every home business, there are certain processes that we do over and again. Sometimes it may be possible to trim the time or expense of a process which in turn will add pennies or dollars to your bottom line. If it is a process that you do hundreds or thousands of times per month, then your savings will multiply into hundreds or thousands of dollars in monthly savings.

Imagine what running a home business was like BEFORE the computer…

Before the personal computer, we had to hand type all letters and invoices. Now, we can set up a letter or invoice that we send out quite often, and we can save it in our word processor so that when we need to use it again, we can print it quickly and efficiently. There is no longer a need to type the document again from scratch.

The computer has simplified our business communications and has provided us the opportunity to reduce our costs of doing business.

Think about all of the other processes that the computer has enabled us to do for far less expense than what we could in the past.

In this case, the computer is a tool that permits us to save time and money.

So, my challenge to you is to begin examining the processes in your own home business and look for ways in which you can save yourself time and money. It is far better for you to contemplate on this matter than it is for me to do so for you. Simply put, you know your business better than anyone on the planet does. Therefore, you are in a better position than anyone to find those extra dollars that will decrease your costs and increase your profits.

The extra pennies and dollars you could extract from your business could spell the difference between success and failure for your home business enterprise.

Whether seeking a supplemental income or a full-time income, many folks have undertaken the task to discover a viable home based business solution to meet their personal needs.

For most folks who contemplate a home business, a low-cost or no-cost solution is not only nice, but also very necessary. Many also seek to find a home business that will permit them to maintain their regular day job in order to protect their base income.

Taking the cautious approach to a home based business and keeping one’s job during the start-up period is often a very good decision. By maintaining one’s job, one can maintain the health of their personal finances while permitting their home business to grow healthy and strong.

Fortunately, most home based businesses can be started with little or no cash, can be maintained on a shoestring budget, and can be operated successfully with only a part-time investment.

One day, the business will be strong enough to support itself and its owner. When that time comes, it will make good sense for the business owner to leave his or her outside job to dedicate more time to growing and maintaining their new thriving home based business. You will know when that time has finally arrived.

The nature of a home based business makes it easy and very realistic for most folks to take the plunge into home business ownership.

Yet, many folks put off starting their own home based business, because they have the misconception that they will have to risk thousands of their own hard-earned dollars at start-up. Then later, if their business fails, they fear they may be forced to take out a second mortgage on their house just to stay out of bankruptcy.

Are you one of these folks? Do you let your fears of failure keep you from reaching for your dreams?

If so, then allow me to introduce you to a few home business ideas that you can start for less than $100 and can be started and operated very profitably as a part-time business.

THE LIFEBLOOD OF ALL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES

First of all, let me advise you to search out a business model that will deliver steady and repeat business. It is the one thing — above all others — that will assure that your company can survive the test of time.

HOME-BASED MAIL ORDER:
Home-based mail order is a good example of how one can quickly grow a home business income. Mail order is a low cost start-up business that can be launched for around $100 USD.

With proper planning, your home-based mail order business will not require up-front inventory purchases. In the mail order business, it is not uncommon to rely upon drop-shippers for product fulfillment services.

By utilizing drop-shippers, we can sell the products, collect the money and then purchase the products from the wholesale outlet. The wholesale outlet will then put a return address for your company on the product packaging and deliver the product directly to your customer.

Your primary expense in the mail-order business is advertising. Classified advertising tends to be a relatively inexpensive form of advertising with thousands of outlets available to the small business owner.

WHOLESALE BUSINESS:
Buy low — sell high. You can acquire high quality, top-of-the-line merchandise for a fraction of the retail cost. Starting a wholesale business would require a Wholesale Dealers Directory as your source for merchandise, such as the one above.

AUCTIONS:
Auctions can be an excellent source for buying cheap and selling high. Both government auctions and Internet auctions can lead to some excellent profit opportunities. Auctions are an excellent tool for both acquiring and selling merchandise.
MAKE AND SELL YOUR CRAFTS:
Crafts are a hot seller at country fairs, swap meets or any place where people gather. Make your own crafts and sell them for a tidy profit!

SELLING INFORMATION:
Selling information by mail is another good example of an inexpensive home based business start-up. One can gain the resale rights to information for usually about $50 USD. Other costs will include printer cartridges, paper and postage. There are plenty of free classified sites on the Internet, in which to successfully advertise your information.

WRITE INFORMATIONAL BOOKLETS:
Write and publish your own informational booklets; sell them at a high price! All you need is a little know-how, a printer, paper and stamps. This is a GREAT home business idea! You can also sell the resale rights to others, for extra profits. In this age of the Internet, you may also take advantage of the fact that selling information is one of the most profitable endeavors one can pursue online.

OFFICE SERVICES:
Offer office services for hire in your local paper. You’ll be surprised at the amount of regular office business that can be gleaned from one little classified ad. Word processing, typing, accounting, data entry, proofreading, transcription, promotional letters and newsletters. All these tasks can be accomplished right from your own home office.

AVON REPRESENTATIVE:
Yes, Avon’s been around for eternity, hasn’t it? Then it’s not such a bad prospect as a home based business, is it? I once knew a woman who did so much business as an Avon rep. that she had people calling her and knocking at her door wanting to order products at all hours of the day and night! Once you are an established Avon representative, you, too, will turn a good profit.

CONCLUSION:
On your search for the ideal home based business, try not to get caught up in any scams that will run off with your money. There are thousands of scam artists out there just waiting for the next sucker to come along. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Just use your good judgement and invest wisely in proven methods of earning extra income.

When some folks begin to think about a business of their own, they know in that very moment what kind they are going to start. Then, there are the rest of us…

Knowing that we want to have a business of our own is not enough. Many of us have struggled with the important question of what type of enterprise we would like to start.

Franchises offer a simple pre-packaged money making idea, but the cost of a franchise often makes it a prohibitive option to most folks who contemplate going out on their own.

For those who do not have a million dollars to buy a McDonalds franchise, we must look to other ideas for our own business.

There are literally hundreds of lucrative home business ideas for you to choose from, which will suit every type of personality and all levels of financing. From selling information on the Internet as a infopreneur, to growing delicious gourmet mushrooms for sale to restaurants and catering companies; there is a pile of money to be made by filling a need for these and a host of other necessary services.

Of course, actually liking what you do will have a lot to do with the success of your new venture, so be sure to pick a home business that you’ll enjoy running and that will keep you motivated.

For example, if you’re a math whiz, an accounting or income tax service might be the ideal home business for you to start. Perhaps writing is your forte and you’d like to start your own home based copywriting service or advertising agency. Each of these businesses can be run successfully–and profitably from the comfort of your own home.

Academia might not be your cup of tea, but maybe you are good with your hands — having a creative genius where crafts are concerned. Craft items are red-hot sellers at swap meets, country fairs and world wide over the Internet, and they can provide you with solid profits. If crafts don’t interest you, then why not start a laundry service with pick-up and delivery, or a shopping service for shut-in’s–even a companion service or granny sitter or a doctor shuttle service; any of which could be much in demand, in and around your neighborhood or community.

When brainstorming new ideas for your future home business, keep in mind the soul of any successful endeavor is providing a product or service that others will actually purchase in quantities. Satisfy the needs of your target market, and your target market will keep you and your home based business healthy, happy and profitable.

Below are some suggestions for home business ideas that might help you decide on a suitable venture in which to invest.

Multi-level-marketing (mlm), floral/plant service for offices and hospitals, pooper-scooper service, dog walking service, answering service, vending machine service, gift basket service, homemade soap maker, mobile windshield repair service, mobile tire repair service, income tax specialist, researcher, freelance writer, business card and letterhead designer, courier, shut-in/shuttle service, landscaping service, tree trimming service, wood crafter, carpenter, crafts and crafting supplies, pool cleaning service, plants/nursery starts, growing herbs, growing mushrooms, garage sale and swap meet vendor, proofreader, private investigator, typing service, interior decorator/designer, website design, wedding consultant, hot lunch/snack vendor at local courthouses, pet sitting service, pet grooming service, Internet entrepreneur, paralegal, gourmet catering service, new media production, mobile cosmetic technician, mobile nail technician, mobile hair stylist, aerobics instructor, personal fitness trainer, advertising consultant, companion service, small printing service.

Ideas, ideas; hopefully the above ideas will give you some fresh ideas of your own to mull over. A spring board if you will, on which to dive into your own chosen home business.

When you work from home, any business you start has the potential to explode into a perpetual gold mine! It just depends on how much your home business is in demand around your community or on the Internet. Your home business might start slow and steady, regularly picking up clients as you become more established. On the other hand, your chosen home business may take off like wildfire, quickly becoming too hot for you to handle by yourself (well done!). This is the time to enlist the help of willing family members to help you out in your time of need, which will make your business into a friendly, family concern. This will also help family members better understand your business and get a grasp on the mechanics of profit.

Good luck in all your decisions and have fun with your home business, whichever one you choose, and don’t forget to enjoy your newfound freedom!

Every morning as people wake up and make the commute to work many dream of the day when they will finally work for themselves. Every time the boss lets someone know that they must give up their weekend plans for the good of the company, people contemplate the benefits of being the owner of their own business.

Are you one of these people?

If you are, it is important to ask yourself some very important questions before you make the uncertain leap into self-employment.

Many dream of the benefits of home business ownership, but few take into account the sacrifices that must be made to bring the dream to fruition. Please don’t make this mistake yourself.

You must approach home business ownership with your eyes wide open. Ask yourself the important questions, and more importantly, answer your own questions openly and honestly.

AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION

Are you the type of person who relishes every chance to gather around the water cooler for social interaction?

If so, then home business ownership may not be the right decision for you.

Instead, if you feel that you can be quite content sitting alone at your desk; speaking only to clients and really minding your own home business, then you might have what it takes to succeed as a home business entrepreneur.

If you feel at ease with your own company and don’t need a dozen coworkers milling around your desk, then you, too, could savor the freedoms that will allow you and your family, to live the lifestyle you know you want and deserve.

THE KEY TO HOME BUSINESS SUCCESS

Self-motivation is the key to success when you start a home-based business. You need to possess the ability to push yourself ahead. Your drive and determination will be reinforced with every new sale.

The level of success that you will achieve greatly depends on the time and effort you are willing to plow into your new home business. Your organization, planning and marketing skills, will all be put into practice when you embark on your liberating journey from employee, to being your own boss. In fact, you will be the wearer of many hats and gain a wealth of business experience along the way, when you finally make that commitment to work at home.

YOUR SUCCESS RESTS ENTIRELY UPON YOUR OWN SHOULDERS

You will now be the boss. Are you truly able to work independently? Do you have the drive; the tenacity, to persevere with your home based business? Will you be able to invest the necessary time to nurture it, to watch it grow and see it through, from germination to full, glorious bloom? When you’re the boss, you are responsible for the success of your home business, from A to Z, from disappointments to victory.

When you work at home, it will empower you to achieve many things you were unable to do when you were stuck working for that tyrant boss. Remember him? He’s the guy that wouldn’t let you take time off when your baby was sick…the same guy that called you in to work on Thanksgiving Day.

A home business means that you can take good care of your family and make money from home, simultaneously. You will have the best of both worlds! Just think–no more dirty laundry piling up–you can do it while you work. No more scurrying around at the last minute searching for a babysitter either. And no more worrying about getting fired; you’ll be the boss!

IN CONCLUSION…

Stay positive and focused on your home based business, even if, when sales aren’t up to par, you get occasional negative remarks or derogatory comments from people with stuffy, dead-end jobs. Ignore their cutting words and bear in mind that success is the best revenge! Keep your admirable, positive attitude at the forefront and show them what you’re made of!

Home business success requires internal and external motivation. Externally, motivation basically involves rewards that people work for that move them the desired direction to achieve their goals. The main psychological factors that motivate people are recognition, money, success, fame, work satisfaction and teamwork.

True and lasting motivation often comes from within. When a person faces a difficult task or situation they often feel discouraged and lack motivation to move forward. This can often lead to a reduction of the driving force or power, behind accomplishing any task. When you are trying to run and grow your own business this lack of motivation can mean the difference between success and failure.

The key to maintaining motivation is to learn to form a positive attitude for your own capabilities. The two major things that contribute towards this are; what expectations you have for yourself and what value you place on accomplishing your goals, because the more you value finishing a task, the more motivated you’ll feel. If you don’t place value on a particular goal or task, it will only contribute to your lack of motivation.

There are a number of ways to keep yourself motivated to achieve home business success

Firstly, be realistic in assessing your capabilities. Stop thinking that you have to be the best in everything. No one is perfect. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. If you take the time to learn what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at it will help you to improve your capabilities, which in turn will help you stay motivated.

Secondly, if you experience failure, don’t beat yourself up. Instead try to keep a positive attitude especially in situations that can’t be controlled. Also make sure you don’t underestimate even when you are faced with challenges that you don’t think you can handle. Always try to focus on the things you can control and look for ways that you can do things differently to help you reach your end goal.

Thirdly, be honest when you assess your performance. Did you give 100 percent? If you feel you have and still did not achieve your goals, don’t lose your motivation or commitment. Instead of giving up, change your strategy.

Lastly, be responsible for your behavior. Do not blame others or make excuses when things don’t go as planned. Instead, take time to develop your skills so that the next time you try you can improve your results. Avoid getting trapped into the “I can’t or don’t want to” cycle of self-doubt. Instead, take responsibility for your actions and keep moving towards achieving your goals. This steady momentum-building will, in turn, help keep you motivated as you grow your business.

There are many ways to make money online including your own ecommerce store, affiliate programs, email marketing, and other ways to earn multiple income streams.

The experienced internet entrepreneur will most likely have multiple streams of income from a well-designed online marketing strategy. But the first step before marketing can begin is the development of the business vision itself. How can you develop an effective marketing plan if you don’t really have a business plan?

The Internet is the land of opportunity and variety. There are multiple ways to become an entrepreneur.

• Develop your own Internet-based business
• Buy an online franchise
• Open a store on eBay
• Join Yahoo Merchant Solutions
• Sell on an auction site
• Become an Amazon Marketplace seller
• Become a referral service for a shopping site

Many people are aware of the various types of online business formats that are available. Savvy online vendors will often combine one or more formats in order to generate maximum revenue, and that is where the power of the internet is increased exponentially.

When you visit eBay stores, there is often an embedded link on the site. The link will take the shopper to the vendor’s website where additional products or services are offered. These vendors sell through eBay and through their own website. It’s like having two websites to attract thousands of potential customers. Income will flow from both sites.

A smart business will expand their income streams by building an email list of prospects and customers, and follow up with those people regularly to promote their own products, and products they are affiliated with which also relate to the customer’s interests. In this way, they are adding additional income streams to their online business.

A great example of a system which helps new internet entrepreneurs develop multiple streams of income is the Plug-In Profit Site. Even people with no experience in internet marketing can sign up for the Plug-In Profit Site service and get their own website setup to start earning multiple streams of affiliate income within 24 hours. It includes the products, and the email follow up system so much of the work needed to start earning income online is already completed. This allows new online entrepreneurs to get started quickly and expand their online income streams over time.

That’s the beauty of the internet. New technologies and systems appear every day that make it easier than ever before to start a business online, and develop a reliable income. Keep in mind that to make full use of the opportunities to create income online, you should implement more than one income-producing strategy or business model. In this way, you can create multiple streams of income growing at all times which will provide you with greater security and freedom. Isn’t it time you started earning money online? 💡

All too often when people think of success, they think that they should be the best in their field. Or they should have the biggest house or the flashiest car… or millions of dollars in their bank account.

Success in life goes beyond material possessions and the number in your bank account. Real success is about living life to the fullest and knowing that you gave it your all. To live life on your own terms, pursuing your own authentic purpose and dreams is success.

The concepts of what it takes to be successful are very simple. Anybody can understand them and most people do. Application of these concepts, however, is quite another story.

In this article, I’ll share 10 important success tips with you. While they may not be mind blowing, rest assured that if you apply them daily, success in any endeavour will be yours.

Even during those times when you do not get what you want or despite your best efforts you fail, you will still push forward and succeed in areas you never even imagined.

Don’t think – Know and act.

This is without a doubt the most important tip of the lot. Success is not a coincidence but a consequence and it’s a direct result of your actions.

The majority of people who never succeed in life invariably have one common trait. They don’t take sufficient action. They hem and they haw and never put their plan into consistent and committed action. Planning does not get results. Only doing does.

Do not keep thinking about what you’re going to do or what you will do. JUST DO! This is the key. Form a plan, do your research so that you know what you’re doing and then EXECUTE the plan. Don’t wait, just start!

Instead of taking notes about which exercises are the best for weight loss, put on your shoes and start running. Instead of hanging out in online forums reading advice from other clueless people, take action. You can learn and learn and learn, but go nowhere…

The best thing is to start doing and learn as you go. Most people are stuck in a kind of inertia where they just never get started. By consciously forcing yourself to take action, you’ll attenuate this lethargy and inertia that’s holding you back. This and only this will catapult you to success.

Define your goals clearly.

You must know what you want. If you’re undecided about your goals and have a flippant attitude about how you’re going to achieve them, you will be like a sailboat without any course that’s just tossed around by the prevailing winds.

Write your goals down in a list. Make them as specific as you can. State why you want to achieve them and how you’ll feel when you do reach your goals. You must define your why and be absolutely clear about it. Give yourself a time frame to achieve your goals.

Look at your list often so that you remember what you need to do… and then go do what you have to do so that you can see success and then be able to do what you want to do.

Don’t rest on your laurels.

This is a very common mistake that can turn a successful person into a failure. If the phrase “Resting on your laurels” could be summarized in one word, that word would be COMPLACENCY.

There are so many examples of people who did succeed at what they set out to do and once they got there, they were so happy and content that they relaxed and assumed that things would always be rosy. After a while, they realized that while they were resting, the roses wilted and the weeds took the garden.

You must always be alert. If you’ve lost all your excess fat and you have a fantastic body now, that’s great. Enjoy it and be proud of yourself… BUT… do not assume that you’ll stay lean forever.

If you let your diet slide and sneak in a doughnut here and a milkshake there, it’s only a matter of time before all those pounds come sneaking back in. Next thing you know, you’re fatter than you’ve ever been before.

The same applies to your spouse. Give them the same attention that you did before you married. If you let that slide and think you closed the deal by tying the knot, it’s just a matter of time before you’ll be signing the divorce papers.

Always keep moving. A rolling stone gathers no moss.

Continually motivate yourself.

This is of paramount importance. Everyone is excited at the beginning of the year when they’re listing their goals and resolutions because of the promise of what is to come. The truth of the matter is that it will take time to achieve your goals.

During this time, your interest will start to wane and you will lose the drive to keep going through the hard yards. This is where most people throw in the towel and fail. They’ve lost sight of the promise.

The key to staying on track with your goals and succeeding in life is motivation. Do not renounce your personal responsibility of motivating yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

You could attend a seminar by some famous motivational guru and be pumped up for a week, but you can rest assured that the high you’re feeling will dissipate.

What then? Who is going to motivate you?

The answer is you because you’re all you’ve got. Write your goals down and most importantly, write down why you’re doing what you’re doing. What is the emotional reason behind it? Write it all down.

Whenever you feel like the journey is just too much effort, look at your list of goals and ask yourself why you started. This should give you the impetus to keep going.

You MUST motivate yourself regularly, and take consistent action toward your goals!

Don’t be afraid of failure.

Always realize that failure is not the opposite of success. It is a part of success. Far too many people never do what their heart desires because they’re stifled by fear.

The lady who loves art chooses a career in finance because of job security. She hates her job and is miserable all her life.

The man who wants to travel the world and blog about his experiences as a global wanderer ends up tying the knot at 24 and has 2 kids because all his friends are getting married and settling down. It just seems crazy and immature to do what he wants to. Years later he’ll look back and wonder, “What if”?

Don’t end up in a “What if?” situation. You’ll find success if you pursue your true calling in life and not miss life-changing opportunities just because you were trying to be practical or following the herd.

You must follow your heart and your dreams without fear of failure. That’s the only way to live a life without regret. You can’t succeed at what you don’t do.

In the event that you do pursue your dreams and fail repeatedly, don’t let these failures discourage you. Fall seven times, get up eight.

The difference between the winners and losers is that the winners failed more frequently, and kept going. Learn from each failure, correct your course and keep moving forward. This is the only way to succeed and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Don’t compare yourself to others.

This is a simple one. Stop worrying about what others are doing. It’s human nature to measure one’s self against others.

Guys at the gym look around to see who can bench press more, and who has bigger muscles.

Women tend to judge other women’s bodies very harshly just to feel better about themselves.

Businessmen compare their earnings and net worth with their peers to evaluate their own worth.

None of these is necessary and can in fact be destructive. All unhappiness starts with comparison. There will always be those who are better off than you and there will be those who are worse off. Know this from the beginning and you’ll save valuable time and energy that you can apply toward making your life better.

If you constantly measure yourself up against those better than you, you’ll be bitter, discontented and miserable. That’s no way to live life.

If you compare yourself against those who are worse off than you, you’ll not be motivated to do better for yourself since you already think that you’re a success. This will lead to complacency.

So, your personal motto should always be to better your own personal best. You are your biggest competition. Always strive to be better today than you were yesterday.

If you focus on beating your own achievements, you will reap success over and over. Your only limit is you.

Keep your calm.

We live in a world where the majority of people are very quick to react. They’re often just waiting to get offended by others or curse at their own misfortunes.

In Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”, his very first line was “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you”, and concludes with: “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!”

In simple words, do not be quick to anger or become overly emotional. Do not make decisions based on haste or fury. Millions of people have been to prison because they lost their minds for a split second and did something they regretted.

Extricate yourself from any unfavorable situations so that you can keep a level head. If you’re struggling to lose weight and give in to temptation and eat something you shouldn’t have, don’t curse yourself and give up on your goal. Move on, and get back on track.

In times of failure, take a deep breath and stay focused. Analyze what went wrong and remedy what you can. Don’t run around screaming and blaming everyone else. If you truly want to be successful in life, reining in your emotions and staying cool is a skill you must develop.

The same boiling water that softens potatoes hardens eggs. It’s all about what you’re made of, not your circumstances.

Eat, sleep and spend in moderation.

This may sound simple but millions fail at it. Eat clean and eat in moderation. Food is fuel, not therapy. So many people eat when they’re happy, they eat when they’re sad, they eat when they’re bored… It just doesn’t end.

Eat only when you’re hungry. It’s fine to occasionally indulge but know your limits. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions because of poor diet choices and overeating.

Sleep soundly but don’t sleep your life away. 6 to 8 hours of sleep a day is adequate for most people. Don’t sleep 14 hours a day like a baby. At the other extreme, try not to burn the candles at both ends and leave yourself in a quivering mass of exhaustion because you’re only sleeping 4 hours a day.

Spend your money wisely. One of the most common traits of successful people is that they save money and live beneath their means. Don’t spend money that you don’t have to buy things that you don’t need to impress people who don’t care.

While these 3 pointers might seem commonplace and almost inane, you’d be shocked to know that millions have ruined their lives just by not getting these three points right.

This is the real world and these are hard truths. To succeed in life, you must master yourself, and stay balanced.

Keep your promises to yourself.

When you make a promise to yourself and don’t keep it, on a subconscious level you’ll lose respect for yourself. You’ll feel like you’re not worthy of success.

One common example is people who struggle to lose weight. They have the same weight loss resolutions every year and they never succeed. They try a hundred different programs and thousand different slimming pills and whatever they do, weight loss eludes them.

The reason for this is that they break their promises to themselves. If you say that you’ll not drink soda today, then you don’t. Do NOT make an exception and tell yourself, “It’s ok. I’ll work it off tomorrow”.

Yes, you can work it off but you broke a promise to yourself. The next time you tell yourself, I’ll restrict my carbohydrate intake today, on a subconscious level your mind will tell you, “No, you won’t. You always give in”.

And guess what? By noon you’ll give in and have 2 slices of pizza. Your resolve was already weakened by earlier broken promises.

When this process is repeated over and over, it becomes a habit. You tell yourself one thing and you do another. Your self-esteem and confidence in achieving the goals you set is diminished in this way.

You decide that the ideal body weight is just not possible for you. You tell yourself that you have poor genes, no discipline, etc. There is one thing you are succeeding at when this happens, and that is FAILURE. Many people are very successful at failing.

Always remember. Do not make exceptions when you commit to a goal. Do not skip the workouts. Do not indulge in foods that you said you wouldn’t. Stay focused and exercise self-discipline. Keep promises to yourself above all else!

Believe and have faith in yourself.

In order to succeed in life or business, you must believe that you can do it. If you didn’t, you’d never begin. You must believe that whatever you desire is within reach. After all, if it wasn’t, why bother?

Start believing it, and you’ll be on your way to seeing it. Have faith in yourself. There may be times when you’re dogged by failure and nothing seems to work. It’s during these times that it’s imperative that you do NOT give up.

It is always darkest before the dawn. If you stay on track and keep at it, success can be yours. You must stay the course, believe in yourself and your vision, and never stop working toward it until you have achieved the success you desire.

Conclusion

These 10 tips are simple to understand and you’ve most probably heard them before. Yet, you’re still reading because on some level, you know it helps to see them again.

Keep these tips in mind at all times and apply them over and over. Initially, it may be difficult and you’re bound to fumble and flounder a bit, but with practice and repetition, it will become second nature and you will be a living embodiment of success.