...always flock together.
It's a basic understanding: you are who you associate with. Who you choose to spend your time with, are seen with, relax with, will determine who you become. It may sound overly generalizing, but it's the truth. The people you choose to call your friends are the people that will ultimately shape and mold your future.
If your friends are interested in cars, pop music, and dancing, most likely you will be into those things as well. If your group of friends are into networking, planning ahead, and thinking positively, you will most likely pick up those good habits as well. It can just as easily work the other way. People outside your niche of friends will judge you by the people you surround yourself with and you do the exact same thing when you observe other people. You instinctively observe the people a person associates with and will make an instant judgment of that individual based almost entirely on his/her friends.
Be careful who you spend your time with. I'm not saying to cut ties with all the people that aren't aligned with your perspective of thinking, but do be cautious as to who you obtain advice from and whose character and mentality you correlate with. It may seem harmless to spend time with your old high school buddies who are all about partying and living life to the fullest while you can, but understand that their little habits and way of thinking can very easily alter your own thoughts.
You are always who you associate with. Make sure you choose to spend your time with those that encourage you to better yourself, to constantly challenge yourself to think and grow. Spend more time with those people that will support your audacity to challenge the norm and less time with those that only want to use you for social entertainment.
"Character is so largely affected by association, that we cannot afford to be indifferent as to who or what are friends are." - Unknown
My sincerest apologies for not updating forever.
It seems like everybody has been trying to put me down these days. I'm trying to always remember that great success always comes with great opposition in the beginning. It's not about whether it will be easy or not, because it will always be difficult. Just understand that in the end, it will always be worth it. Right now, each and every one of you has a choice. A choice of whether to be like everyone else, to live an average mediocre life, or a choice to challenge the norm and create your own destiny.
"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds." - Francis Bacon
Take care of one another.
If you study the psychology of the average person, you will find one common and prevalent theme locked within their mindset: excuses. Excuses gives a person comfort and shelter to hide from failures. It is used as a shield to redirect responsibility, to divert the reasoning behind their failures. People who continue to fail do so because they are continually making excuses to why they cannot achieve a certain goal or a specific dream. Excuses are the things that hold back the average mediocre person, while the other guy gets ahead in life. Excuses are what separates unsuccessful people from successful people in this world, not any inherent skill or ability. If you observe closely, you will notice that successful people are rarely reluctant to make excuses. They understand that they alone are accountable for the results of their actions and decisions, knowing fully that their destiny is in their own hands. Unsuccessful people, on the other hand, are quick to make excuses on why they failed or why they cannot achieve. They fail to realize that their inability to succeed lies within their own mentality, so instead they point fingers and blame others on why they cannot accomplish. People who fail love to bring down others with them. Because they couldn't do it, they tell others they can't do it as well. So be forewarned, don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something!
" Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure." - Don Wilder
There are tons of excuses that people use to defend why they can't move forward. Some of the most common excuses are:
- Health Excuse - People feel that because of their physical handicap, they are incapable of achieving their dreams. Not true. There are thousands of people who failed to achieve greater success, prestige, and happiness because they used their health as an excuse. Doctors believe that every individual has some sort of physical ailment in some ways, that no person is physically perfect. Successful people refuse to surrender to health excuses or let any physical disability get in their way.
- Intelligence Excuse - Many of us feel inadequately inferior to others in regards to intelligence and brainpower. When comparing IQ's, the majority of people feel that they lack sufficient formal education or knowledge. We tend to overestimate other people's intelligence, while we underestimate our own brain power. Truth is, we are all capable of learning new things and increasing our knowledge equally. It is our thinking behind our intelligence, however, that is more important than the amount of intelligence that we hold.
- Age Excuse - Everyday, hundreds or people predetermine their failure because they believe they are not the right age. We either feel too old or too young for the task at hand. Learn to look at your age as a positive advantage, not a disadvantage. Understand how to plan your remaining time left to invest in what you want to do. Instead of regretting how you could of started years earlier, tell yourself you will start fresh now. Age is just a number. Don't let it block your way in achieving your dreams.
Every successful person could have used the same excuses unsuccessful people used as a defense when faced with failure. The difference between the two is that successful people choose not to indulge in excuses. Understanding that our failures are a hundred percent our responsibility is a first step to overcoming the devastating mentality of excuses. If we are to get ahead in life, we must first begin by learning from our mistakes and to see how we could do better next time. Whether we succeed or fail is entirely up to our attitude.
Growing up as a kid my parents would always remind me how important it was to do well in school. They would repeatedly emphasis that if I got good grades, I could go to a good college and if I go to a good college, I would eventually land a good job as a doctor, lawyer, or some corporate executive. Not that I have anything against doctors, lawyers, or corporate executives- I look up to these people with much respect. I just find that many Americans are beginning to realize that the jobs that they once held on to so dearly is not as stable as they once thought.
"Formal education will make you a living, self-education will make you a fortune." - Jim Rohn
Large corporations are downsizing, reaping profits for investors, while dedicated employees are finding out the hard way that job security is almost nonexistent in present times. Government benefits and company pensions were great back in the Industrial Age, but with rapidly changing technology and economic downfalls, many baby boomers are finding their retirement funds high and dry, adding even greater stress on Social Security and Medicare. With all these predicaments facing present workers, is getting a job really the smart thing to do?
"Getting a job is a safe and stable idea."
Wrong! After reading this post, I hope that you'll begin to realize that getting a job can be one of the dumbest, riskiest, and unstable decision you can make. First, let's analyze the concept of a job. The basis of a job involves an employer and an employee. In exchange for his talents or services, the employee is given a salary. These people get paid on their personal efforts alone. You might think this is a great idea, but it's not. Here's the problem with it: you're only paid when you're working! Some of you guys won't see the problem in this. That's because society has been doing a fine job into manipulating everybody into believing that a job is the only way to make a living. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be paid constantly around the clock, even when you're not working? How about getting paid while you run errands, go on vacation, or take a nap? Sounds crazy? It's not. The problem with earning money through a linear income such as a job is that you are limited. As human beings we can only do so much in so little time. With a job our income is limited to the amount of work we can accomplish in a week. It's only a matter of time before we begin to sacrifice our health, family, and priorities in order to get by.
"So how am I supposed to make money?"
Successful people understand the concept of leverage. From an economic standpoint, leverage simply refers to the process of enhancing one's position through the efforts of others. You're able to earn more and more, while working less and less. Through a system of leverage, successful people have been able to create income 24/7, even while they rest. Employees of other people have one thing in common, they are all bound by the clock. Successful people understand the power or leverage and exponential growth.
"I'd rather have 1% of the effort of 100 men than 100% of my own effort." - J. Paul Getty
Getting a job is comparable to modern day slavery. As an employee, you become a servant to your employer. You work for money instead of having money work for you. Your talents and experiences are limited to grow as you repeat the same tasks over and over again. One mistake or screw-up could mean your primary source of income being cut off by your boss. Sounds secure? I don't think so. Employees are like pets. They are rewarded for doing good and reprimanded when they do something bad. The modern day environment of the workplace has conditioned us all to behave as slaves. Our natural desire to be free has been caged by the modern day office.
The solution is to create a system of leverage in which you can produce income all the time, even when not working. Producing a source of income through a website is a great way to make residual income. Advances in technology now makes it easier than ever to stake a claim online, where some people are making billions, literally. Successful people all own their own business. If you're like me and don't have much initial capital to invest in a corporation or franchise, I would recommend creating a online home-based business. Networking marketing companies offer excellent opportunities to create residual income along with the time freedom to go with it.
When it comes down to it, money is a part of life, it is necessary in order to survive. However, how we make our income is totally within our reach. I'm not advocating that we all go out and quit our jobs immediately, but I am saying that it would be a good idea to build a business part-time while working on your job full-time. Starting your own business may be tough in the beginning, many people quit even before they begin, going back to their cycle of paychecks. But for the very few who decide to stick with it, their efforts will eventually bear fruit. I'm not saying its going to be easy, but it will be worth it. For more information, check out Economic Power.
Affiliate advertising is commonly referred to as affiliate marketing. The term is used to describe a program in which company web sites offer other web site publishers an opportunity to advertise products or services on their content sites. In return for their sales and referrals made, affiliate programs will offer a piece of the commission to the publishers of the web site. Many times, companies that offer such affiliate programs will hookup with an affiliate network in order to promote their programs. Some of those networks include: Commission Junction, Affiliate Fuel, and Amazon.com
Who is Considered an Affiliate?
Affiliates are everyday people with an entrepreneurial spirit who earn extra income by advertising other web site's products or services in return for a commission. Many affiliates use affiliate marketing to complement their online business and use their commissions as a secondary source of income. There are many people, however, that rely on affiliate marketing as their primary source of income and earn anywhere from a couple thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month. There are many ways to conduct your affiliate advertising enterprise:
- Your Own Personal Web Site. The most common approach used to placing affiliate advertisements is through your own personal or business web site. Usually the web site requires some sort of content which will generate traffic. In return those visitors will have a strong correlation to the revenue made through your affiliate advertisements. Keep in mind that it's very important to provide relevant content to your site so that your visitors will find your ads attractive.
- Online Publications. Online prospects that subscribe to newsletters or emails provide an effective market for potential. Once you have built and retained a sizable list of subscribers, your savings on costs can source an additional benefit.
- Search Marketing. Paid search marketing refers to the practice of charging for ad placements on search and content networks. The most common search and content networks include: Google AdWords, MSN adCenter, and Yahoo! Search Marketing. The goal of search marketing is to achieve greater visibility for your web site or advertisement in order to generate revenue.
An example of what sponsored results are highlighted in red below:
I hope this covers some of the questions some people have about what affiliate marketing is and how it works. In my next posts I will go over Affiliate Programs and Affiliate Networks.
The key to success is simple. The main building blocks involve a practice in which we are all constantly engaging in. We immerse in this activity thousands of times per day, yet many of us fail to recognize the life-changing potential that lies behind it. The weapon I am referring to is our thoughts and it can work for or against us. The key to success is built upon the foundation of our thoughts.
"Great men are those who see that thoughts rule the world." - Emerson
It may sound redundant or cliche, but it's the truth. Our thoughts are our driving force behind our actions. What we constantly think about in our minds is what we attract into our lives. The constant repetition of our thoughts, whether positive or negative, build the basis of our convictions. Our convictions develop into our beliefs, which in turn manifests into our reality. When we repeatedly emit a thought frequency from our brain, our subconscious mind automatically takes that thought and formulates it into an affirmation. The more we dwell upon a thought, the more we affirm it into our subconscious mind.
"If it's that simple, why isn't everybody successful?"
Many of us, if not all, are the product of the thinking that surrounds us. Whether it be from our friends, family, or peers, our thoughts are a combination of opinions from others. Unfortunately, many of the thinking that goes around us tend to be petty little thinking. Someone who feels that they can't do something will assume that the task at hand is impossible- because of their inability to achieve victory, others must surely be doomed for failure as well. They figure they can save them the heartache and tell them it's no use. Those negative thoughts can enter our mindset, planting a seed of negativity and frustration, eventually leading to our predetermined failure, only if we allow it to. Many people feel that our lives are enthroned to the reins of fate, that we have no control over our destiny. Baloney! To think this is pure insanity. Leaving your future to wishful thinking is comparable to leaving your life into the hands of other people.
"Somebody else's opinion about you doesn't have to be your reality." - Les Brown
The first step to regaining control over your life is to change the way you think. As easy as this may sound, many of us have long term beliefs about ourselves and our capabilities that we hold on to. In order to dispel some of the negative thoughts in our head, the ones that tell us "You can't do that," we must repeatedly reaffirm ourselves. Whenever an opportunity arises, instead of thinking "I can't do this," tell yourself "I can do this." By doing so you will trigger your creative mind into deriving plans to obtain your goals. Repeat the words "It's possible" to yourself, which in turn will reassert your subconscious mind into higher development. Hidden within those two words are the unlimited potential for greatness. In order for you to harness the power of belief, you must:
- Think success. If you think about failure, you've automatically established yourself for defeat. Instill positive thinking into your mind all the time throughout your day. When you compete against others, think, "I'm at the same level as the best," not "I'll probably lose." Overwhelm yourself with the thoughts of succeeding, brushing off any apprehensions of negativity.
- Reaffirm yourself of your capabilities and potential. Those who reach the top aren't much different from you or me. They're not any smarter or naturally endowed with skills we cannot obtain for ourselves. The only contrast is that successful people have developed belief in themselves and their actions, carrying them to higher levels.
- Dream BIG. The worst thing anyone could ever do is sell themselves short. The size of your belief will determine the measurement of your success. Always remember to set big goals. Those who set small goals always achieve small accomplishments, while those who set higher standards reap big ideas and plans.
As you begin to follow these simple steps to personal development, you will notice change occur in your life. As you experience this paradigm shift, your attributes of confidence, enthusiasm, and self-esteem will naturally follow. You will witness yourself become somebody you never thought was possible. Those around you will begin to take notice as well. Your friends and acquaintances will be challenged to grow and develop, inspired by your transformation. Become the change you want to see. It's possible.
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Blog Directory ID: 1012
Blog URL: http://thinkbigfish.blogspot.com
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Blog Description: Information and content blog about how to create residual income through the internet and other home based opportunities along with personal development.
Blog Category: Marketing Blogs
Blog Owner: Justin Lee
Blog Added: November 10, 2007 04:48:27 AM
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