Trust Matters Now More Than Ever

Given the state of the world political stage and the perception that highly important business people are often crooks, it's easy to make the assumption that simple things like integrity and ethics are nice to have but not essential to everyday life. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth - and truth still matters as much, if not more, than it ever has. In fact, it's crucial to building and maintaining trust which, in turn, is perhaps one of the most underrated business tools at our disposal.

Stephen Covey, son of the driving force behind the Habits of Highly Effective People books, is convinced that we are in the middle of a trust paradox. The lower our current levels of trust become, the more we see its importance. No where is this more apparent than in the business world where we can actually measure the results on both sides of the trust equation.

The old adage that says time is money perfectly applies when we look at our present situation vis--vis trust. We see how expensive and time consuming most business has become. Consider how much longer it takes to fly from one destination to another since we've lost trust in the ability of the airlines to protect us. Think too about how financial negotiations have gotten bogged down where we've become suspicious that the people we're bargaining with are untrustworthy.

Conversely, we see how things move ahead when the opposite is true. With trust the speed of doing business changes exponentially. For example, when someone well respected -- like Warren Buffet -- is in the room, the level of confidence rises dramatically, the process of negotiating a deal is streamlined and significantly less time is spent creating transparency and building a slew of safeguards to insure that no one is taking advantage of the other.

Furthermore, once we come to see how indispensable a business variable trust can be, we want it for ourselves as well for others. The important thing is to understand that being trustworthy is a learnable skill that requires the adoption of positive habits that can be practiced on a regular basis.

As Stephen Covey has pointed out, there are several key aspects to this process of garnering trust. In addition to being honest and ethical, we need to be competent, to show up when we say we will and do what we've promised to do. By combining strength of character with such competence we can begin to reap the benefits that come with being trustworthy.

Check out Raymond Aaron's Wealth Creator Source...access over 90 powerful interviews with business experts and thought leaders (like Stephen Covey) from across the globe...go to http://www.WealthCreatorSource.com

Well-known international speaker Raymond Aaron is author of seven books and a New York Times bestselling author of "Chicken Soup for the Parents Soul" His latest book, hot off the press, is "Double Your Income Doing What You Love".

Weight Loss Motivation

Lack of motivation is a major reason many people fail when it comes to losing weight. I myself know first hand. All the daily distractions in life can leave you distracted from what you truly want. This article will address 3-ways to stay motivated and give you better chances of succeeding.

Weight Loss Motivation Tip #1

The first step is convincing yourself this is something you must have. Write down the three main reason why you must lose weight. It could be anything such as health benefits, wanting more energy, wanting to increase your life span, etc. Re-sight these on a daily basis to keep you focused on why you must succeed.

It takes years to get out of shape, and even less to get in shape. The average life span for a human is around 70 years. Did you know it can take as little as 6 months to 1 year to get in shape for the average overweight person? Before you start any program, make sure you are willing to commit 6 months to 1 year at it. It will not happen overnight. Its going to take time and energy. Remember your why reasons to help keep you on track.

Weight Loss Motivation Tip #2

The next step is finding a program that works to follow. You should not just buy the first fad diets or exercising gimmick you see on the television. Most people know a handful of people who have tried some form of diet or exercise program that worked. Go to these people and find out exactly what they did. If you do not know anyone, you can find many forums and review sites on the Internet of real user that explain exactly what they have done. Visit some of these websites to for ideas.

Weight Loss Motivation Tip #3

The final step is having someone to motivate and consistently push you to keep going. This could be a spouse, friend, partner, or even someone on an Internet message board. You do not have to go it alone in fact, having someone to keep you motivated will increase your chances of success.

Everybody wants to get in shape and life healthy. In my opinion, everyone can. Using these weight loss motivation tips can drastically help increase your chances of weight loss success. Remember to identify your why reason, stick to a program that works, and find someone to keep you motivated.

This article is written by M. Martin. Find more tips, articles, and reviews for the top diet and exercise programs at Lose Pounds Fast a blog operated by M. Martin.

M. Martin lost 60 pounds following Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet program. A full review for this program can be found at Lose Pounds Fast

How To Get What You Want In Life

Most high achieving men and women are intensely goal-oriented. While most under-achieving men and women have poorly defined goals, if they have any goals at all. This is one of the main reasons why the majority of people suffer from the frustration of feeling that they are accomplishing very little in life.

The ability to set goals and make plans for their accomplishment is the master skill of success. It is the single most important skill that you can learn and perfect. Goal-setting will do more to help you achieve the things you want in life than anything else you can do.

Becoming an expert at goal-setting and goal-achieving is something that you absolutely must do if you want to reach your full potential as a human being. Goals enable you to do the work you want to do, to live where you want to live, to be with the people you enjoy, and to become the kind of person you want to become.

When you develop the habit of setting clear and realistic goals there is no limit to the financial rewards you can obtain. All you have to do is to set a specific goal for financial success your desire, make a plan, and then work the plan until you achieve it.

The payoff for setting goals and making plans is being able to choose the kind of life you want to live. With this being said, its amazing that so few people set goals. Over the past 50 years many organizations and educational institutions have conducted studies on goal-setting. Virtually every study has shown the same startling results. On average, only 3 percent of Americans have written goals and less than 1 percent review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.

With all of this evidence showing what a person can achieve by setting goals. Why is that so few people actually do it? Over the past 25 years I have consulted with and spoken to thousands of men and women about goal setting, and I have found that there are five common reasons why people dont set goals:

The first reason Ive found that people dont set goals, is that they feel theyve done well without setting goals. If its not broken, why fix it?

Given the power of goals to transform lives, Im always astonished how often I hear this from people. Its easy to be satisfied if youve never set goals. Its convenient to say that everything is fine if you dont know where youre going. You can always say that any destination you arrive at is OK.

The second reason I most often hear from people, is that they do have goals, they just keep them in their head. Most people believe in the fewest motions possible to get things done.

A person who thinks this way, does not have goals. They have wishes, desires, hopes, and dreams. Dreams come to all of us as we go about our daily business. Wishes drift in and out of our conscious thoughts. We think of new interests wed like to pursue, changes wed like to make, and great things wed like to achieve, someday. Were pretty sure we have the ability, and fully intend to do all those things sometime in the future.

The ludicrous nature of this way of thinking is that unless those vague intentions are translated into specific goals, they will drift into that never-never land called Might Have Been, and they will take your life with them.

Unfortunately, this is precisely the way most people conduct their lives. They claim they have goals when they do not. Until dreams are translated into specific goals, thay rarely become a reality, and even if they do, the person is denied the deep satisfaction that would have come from translating his or her dream into a specific goal and achieving it.

The third reason I find that people dont set goals is that theyre afraid of failing. The person feels that without goals, he or she doesnt have to worry about failing.

The problem with this way of thinking is that it goes against the foundation of life itself: you cant be born without risk. Youre only kidding yourself if you think you can live without risk, no matter how carefully you tend to the financial, physical, and emotional aspects of your life. There are always risks in everything you do and setting goals involves risk.

You may succeed. But you may also fail. If you fail, then what? Risk taking is part of the process of growth. So is failure. You must be willing to risk failure again and again if you want to be in the company of the worlds most successful men and women.

Make a friend of failure. Use it as a valuable learning experience, a great motivator, and a necessary step on the road to success. At one point or another in their lives, some of the worlds most successful people have been miserable failures. Winston Churchill once said, I would rather fail my way to success than be a successful failure.

The fourth reason I find that people dont set goals, is that they feel that by setting goals and achieving them, they will be expected to live up to their goals in the future. After achieving a goal where is their motivation going to come from to move on from that point?

This train of thought is even more ludicrous than the first three, because you become more motivated as you approach a goal. When you achieve a goal, you will want to try a more demanding one. Nothing approaches the motivating power that comes from systematically setting and achieving your own demanding goals.

The fifth reason I have found why people dont set goals, is that they only set goals when theres a need. I always hear things like, I set goals when I have a major project at work, or when I want a larger house, or a new car.

People with this type of thinking need to understand that goal setting is not an occasional need. It is a process that transforms lives and that mastering this process of setting and achieving goals is at the heart of life itself. If you dont act intentionally, with purpose, you will be condemned to a life of mediocrity, in which anything meaningful occurs only accidentally.

I have given the most common reasons why most people dont set goals, now lets talk about criteria for effective goals that turn dreams into satisfying reality.

1. They must have a definite purpose. Why do you want to achieve the goal?

2. They must written and rewritten every day.

3. They must be measurable.

4. They must be visible in a place where you can see them everyday.

5. They must have deadlines. A goal without a deadline is simply a wish.

6. They must be realistic and achievable.

7. They must be demanding.

8. Goals must be flexible. You will often have to make changes to achieve your goal.

Effective goals will keep you very focused. Nothing will get in your way. Effective goals will liberate you rather than shackle you. They will improve the quality of your life. Effective goals will give your life balance, they will motivate you, they will challenge you, and they will allow you to live your dreams. Without goals, you can only dream your dreams.

Copyright2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of Americas largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

How Poor Are You?

One day a father and his rich family took his son to a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be.

They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"Very good Dad!"

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Yeah!"

"And what did you learn?"

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon." When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless.

His son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!"

Wealth really is a state of mind isn't it? You can have all the riches you want but on the other hand you can be the poorest person in the world.

It's a matter of how you think about the riches that are already a part of your life. You have to be grateful for what you have and appreciate any new riches you attract.

Wealth comes in many forms other than monetary, and it's all in the way you think about it. You don't have to be the wealthiest person in the world to have wealth. You already have it.

Susan Denny has been happily married for 38 years, has 4 adult children (all married) and 6 grandchildren. She has many years experience with families and relationships and has been involved in the Self Development industry for nearly 20 years.

Being healthy is a pre-requisite to creating the wealth and happiness you desire in your life. Go to: Health + Wealth = Happiness for more information, tips and ideas and sign up for my free report, Living With Anxiety and Depression.

Goal Setting For Changing Times

Have you noticed that you've experienced much change over the past year, months, weeks, and even days? Your situation may have changed due to the challenges presented by these changing times, and you may ask yourself if you have achieved your goals of the past year. How do we go about starting our goal-setting activity with all of this change happening around us?

The following seven goal-setting steps will help you successfully implement your goal-setting and achieve your dreams in the future in these changing times:

1. Successful Goal Setting Requires Thinking About Your Goals

You are told how to think and what to think about each and every day. From when we get up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, television, radio, personal computer, family, friends, managers, and colleagues tell us how to think, feel, and act.

Invest time fifteen minutes to an hour to think. Turn off all the external distractions, go to a quiet place (home, park, etc.), and think about your goals and how you want to accomplish them. Think about how you will feel when accomplishing them.

Your goal-setting thinking session should also include how you will benefit from these changing times. What special skills do you have or need to acquire to take advantage of these changing times?

2. Successful Goal Setting Requires Writing Your Goals

Nothing happens in goal setting unless you write your goals and put these goals on paper. Put a pen to paper and you are ahead of all ninety-five percent of other people because they do not write down their goals and then wonder why they are unhappy in their business, their career, and their life. Take the time to write down your goals. It doesn't need to be perfect the first time; successful goal setting is an ongoing process that will change as you accomplish your goals.

3. Successful Goal Setting Requires Shorter Time Periods

Break the length for your goals into shortened time periods. This allows you adjust as needed in changing times. For example, break your goals into twenty-year, ten-year, five-year, one-year, six-month, monthly, weekly, and daily increments. This will allow you to gauge whether you are on course to accomplishing your goals, or whether you need to make adjustments to get back on track.

4. Successful Goal Setting Requires Flexible Goals

You need to be flexible when goal setting more than ever in the past. As the world changes, planning for these changes is essential. An opportunity that is there today might not be there tomorrow. What are you going to do with shifting opportunities? When setting goals, successful people have a Plan A, Plan B, and even a Plan C for these changing times. Take time to think about what changes might happen in your business, your career, and your life and develop plans to overcome these obstacles.

5. Successful Goal Setting Requires Passion

Do your goals make you excited? If they do not, you are not setting goals high enough. Set your goals so that you are excited about accomplishing them. When you are excited about your goals, you create positive energy, and the energy creates passion. With this passion, you will find ways to remove any barriers to your success.

6. Successful Goal Setting Requires Embracing Technology

Many times in our workshops, we run across students for whom technology is a barrier to their success. Their jobs or industries have changed so that being proficient in technology is a requirement. Yet, these students resist learning the new technologies required for their success.

Include a section on what technologies you will learn in your goal setting so that you are successful. Overcome your fear and challenge yourself through these goals to learn how to master new technologies.

7. Successful Goal Setting Requires Balance

In these changing times, you are asked to do more with less. Whether in your business, your career, your community, or your family, you have ever increasing requests for your time and talents. Unless you include balance in your goal setting, someone else will create unbalance in your life which leads to stress and possibly illness.

Take back control of your life with successful goal setting. Make sure you set goals in the following areas:

* Family

* Health

* Education

* Technology

* Spiritual

* Career

* Community

* Business (if needed)

I am sure you can think of some others; however, these form the foundation of your goal-setting activities. Master these areas to be successful in achieving more in less time while staying in control.

Don't delay! Take the time to put think about what you want and deserve, then put a pen to paper. Invest in yourself and the seven goal-setting techniques discussed in this article and you will be successful in these changing times.

Ed Sykes is a highly sought after leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building expert, success coach, professional speaker, and author of Jumpstart Your Greatness. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,

http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the free success newsletter, OnPoint.

Rejection is an Illusion

Does rejection exist? There's no such thing as failure or rejection. Let me ask you when you wiped out on your bike, did you feel rejected? Did you take it personally? No! It was simply a result. And it was simply a result you didn't like. So, you got back on the bike and committed yourself to obtaining a better result. You weren't offended that the bike "rejected" you or you experience "failure". You didn't feel "bad" because it was an "experience" and you probably learned from that experience.

"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it." - William James Duran

If someone "rejects" you, and it's seldom personal, just a person making a decision. It could even be a poor decision on their part. If you "fail," it's just a matter of not doing something the way you'd like or the way someone else might like. Most opinions - even your own - are subjective. So, don't let the opinions of others dictate how you think about yourself. Compare yourself only to yourself, and set goals for you and your own fulfillment, not to impress others.

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." - Bill Cosby

A man named Spencer Silver was working to create a super glue or adhesive. After many attempts Mr. Silver developed a new adhesive, but it was super weak instead of super strong. Many of us would have labeled this experience as a "failure" or "rejection" Mr. Silver classified it as a result and stored the data. Then one Sunday four years later, another scientist named Mr. Arthur Fry was singing in the church's choir. He used markers to keep his place in the hymnals, but they kept falling out of the book. Remembering Mr. Silver's, "result" Mr. Fry used some of the super weak adhesive to coat his markers. Success! With the weak adhesive, the markers stayed in place, yet lifted off without damaging the pages. If Mr. Silver had thrown away his "failure" - Post It Notes would not be here today.

If you believe you've failed you may want to ask yourself some questions. What could I learn from this? How does this result help me? Remember each result is just another experience to learn and adjust bike path. If you don't like your results, change your approach and try for a different result. You might need to fine-tune your skills. Maybe you need to scoot your bike up to the curb when you climb on in order to prevent yourself from falling. Maybe what you need is some help, like a mentor or additional training. Maybe joining a professional organization will give you the contacts and information you need to take that step further. Explore, discover, and research! Find out what you need to do, and repeat, repeat, repeat!

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas A. Edison

What is your definition for rejection? Most people define rejection as not obtaining my goal, examples: She turn me down for a date or He won't let me or something along those lines. But have you ever decided what your definition of rejection is or how did you develop your term for rejection?

Take a moment and define rejection in a way that supports your life and instantly your life will change. A student of mine, defined rejection has: "I need to start negotiating" could you guess he was in sales.

Once you have created your new definition practices, practices, practice, remember repetition is the mother of skill.

"Rejection or Failure are illusions the only true rejection or failure is not being allowed in heaven, if you don't believe me ask God yourself" - Bert J. Martinez

Bert J. Martinez

You Were Created to Succeed.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Bert Martinez started school in Spain, and went on to complete school in United States. As a young man he was amazed how some immigrants could a mass wealth or success so quickly while the majority struggle to survive. His curiosity has led to a life study of "Success" to determine what qualities successful people shared. Surprisingly, he found, age, gender, race, family history, education or the ability to speak English determined ones ability to be "Successful." Bert noticed one commonality; without fail, the successful managed their emotions differently. This discovery changed Bert's focus completely and he embarked on a life mission to help people Manage Their Emotions for Success and Fulfillment. His clients starting calling him "The Emotional Engineer" for his ability to wipe traumatic memories, fear, and even phobias in minutes.

http://www.bertmartinez.com or http://www.yourfinalspeaker.com

Good Communication Makes All the Difference

Have you ever heard the phrase "we just can't communicate?" We just don't get along anymore and we never did anyway or what about, she just doesn't understand me. Most people identify communication with the ability to read or write well. This might not be the case as you will soon find out.

How many times have you been to the doctor's office and listen to an educated professional explain something to you that just doesn't make any sense. These people keep asking you, "Do you understand," Am I making myself clear and sometimes out of embarrassment because you don't want to look like an idiot you tell them yes I do understand. This isn't a good way to communicate either.

How do we communicate in a positive way to get our point across? I'm going to share a secret that works time and time again and some very successful communicators use this often. Ask the person you are communicating with if they understand what you just said, if someone is talking to you then use the statement, "Just to Make Sure That I Understand What You Just Said" and then repeat back your understanding of their conversation.

Sometimes just asking a view simple questions and clarifying your understanding can bring great benefits to any communication.

In some countries like Japan for instance you might find them reading your body language more than the words you are communicating with. Sometimes just by the way someone stands or reacts to something you said can give you a valuable insight to what can be understood in the conversation.

Don't forget however this could lead to a misunderstanding also. Again if you think someone understands how you are communicating with their body language, try not to assume that you know for a fact how they are reacting. Always ask them if they understand what you're talking about.

A person is responsible for what he says and to make sure that the other person understands completely the point he is trying to get across. I don't know how many times I have mentioned something to someone only later to find out there was a problem with my communication.

One of the greatest problems in business, marriage and most relationships are poor communication skills. Why not start using some of the simple skills used in this article to help with communication. You will start to see the benefits within a short period.

How do we do it? Why do we do it? And when are we going to change? How do we change our lives to become fulfilling sources of extreme happiness and joy. What is it going to take to open your eyes and finally seek the information you need.

If you're looking for a secret to happiness or a missing piece to the puzzle you quite possibly could find what you're looking for but no guarantees at spiritual books.

Check out Greg Vanden Berge.