Archive for November, 2009

“Everyone ends up somewhere in life. You could end up somewhere on purpose.” — Pat Mesiti.

I want to encourage you to have a vision!

Having a vision allows you to have a meaningful life. It can come as a goal, a direction, a motivation or a purpose. A vision is essential to life because it is what makes you feel good while doing ordinary routines and it will sustain you as life’s trials come your way.

What does vision do for you?

Vision is the driving force that pushes you to get up and work hard to achieve things. Vision is what fuels your motivation,because when difficulties arise, which they surely will, your vision will encourage you to carry one. You lack motivation when you don’t have a vision of where you want to get to.

When you have a vision, you know where you want to be and how to get there instead of wandering aimlessly. Your actions all point to a particular result. To achieve your goals, set your course, set your direction and persue your vision.

There is no such thing as emotionless vision. Both go together to make even the most ordinary routine feel good. As your vision becomes clearer, your emotions become stronger.

So, Where you can get your vision?

You can have as many visions of your future as you can have many goals in life. Goals can arise out of an urgent need, a concern, or a passion. It can also come from a moral conviction. When a situation causes shock or moral outrage, it can trigger a vision for something better. This is why you see some celebrities coming out of their mould and reaching out to less fortunate people while others simple stay indifferent. The vision of these humanitarian souls is to create a world where no one has to go hungry.

Not all visions require immediate action. But you can do things that prepare you for the time when you need to act on your vision. For example, if you want to have financial freedom when you retire from your job, you need to discover what interests you may have outside of work from which you can derive income someday.

Remember, look inside your heart and discover what moves you, concerns you, makes you angry or makes you want to rise above and stand tall. All these are causes around which you can build your vision.

Failure and success are determined by two common elements: timing and advice. – Pat Mesiti

Today is often referred to as the Age of Information as access to knowledge is easier than ever. Many books on self improvement are known bestsellers while motivational resources are readily available in various media, such as television, newspapers, magazines and the internet, oftentimes for free. While the secret to attaining prosperity has been revealed and discussed by many wealth creation authors, you still see many people leading their lives as before, some even going on a downward spiral!

So what then causes many people to fail in spite of all the principles of prosperity being taught to them? The problem with most people, is their habit of procrastination.

Successful people attribute their achievements to doing the right thing while being at the right place and right time. On the other hand, the ones who fail are those who wait too long before they do something about their situation or get help for it. I had a friend who put off visiting a specialist only to find out later that he not only had prostate cancer but that the cancer had spread as well to other parts of his body. By the time my friend sought the help of a specialist, it was already too late. Its a pretty devastating example of procrastination and I hope it can motivate all of you to get up and take action in the areas of your life that need it.

The element of timing not only applies to your health, but to your finances, happiness, job and relationship as well. People who put off saving for the future often end in bankruptcy or debt. An unhappy marriage that is left untended often leads to divorce. Similarly, those who continuously postpone pursuing their passions end up with regret when they are old.

For every problem, there is a solution. While it may be possible for you not to know the appropriate solution for your situation, bear in mind that others do. There are specialists, experts and those who have dealt with a similar issue with success.

You can turn to professionals like doctors, accountants, lawyers, coaches and consultants for proper advice. Timing also matters when seeking advice. The sooner you ask for assistance, the greater are your chances of resolving your problem or reaching your goals.

Time stops for no one, nor can it be reversed. For every second that you spend not doing what you are supposed to do, you pull yourself further away from your goal, or worse, make things more difficult to address later on.

Remember – go to the right people for advice and to take action while your problems are small.

“Everyone is meant to enjoy a prosperous life.” – Pat Mesiti

There is an abundance of wealth in the world and more than enough for everyone. If you seem to be far from attaining success financially, then you may be doing some things which do not bring you closer to your goals. The key to having a prosperous life is to make changes, starting with your mind.

Results come as a matter of course from an action or inaction. You reap what you sow; for every action there is a corresponding reaction. If maintaining your day job is not making you any richer after five years of slaving behind a desk, then it will not make you a millionaire as well after ten more years. The principle applies in other aspects of your life such as health and relationships. You can’t expect to have a slimmer body if you eat greasy burgers and fries everyday or have a rewarding relationship if you keep making the same mistakes with your partner. The only way to get what you want out of life is to make changes where you need them.

Everything starts with a thought, your attitude, your mindset. If you have a negative outlook or a limited view of what you are capable of achieving, then the effort that you exert in whatever you do will most likely be limited as well. Achievers go the extra mile regardless of the results. Those who dare and go beyond their usual limits are those who often succeed. If you have hit rock bottom, you can choose to wallow in self pity and stay down there or you can tell yourself that it is time to take a different approach as the only way to go for you is up.

Most people are compelled to change because of some painful experience like bankruptcy, a job layoff, a failed marriage, or a serious illness. I am no exception to this fact, I give a lot of credit to my past pain for giving me the motivation to succeed.Its not the only reason of course; but the decision to change, while voluntary, is often triggered by a painful event.

However, it is not enough to know that you need to change your mindset as mere thoughts are useless unless accompanied by concrete action. Whatever you do, don’t wait until it’s too late to change and for those who are in pain right now, to use that pain to make a positive change!!

“Old habits hinder new life.” — Pat Mesiti

Successful people share habits that distinguish them from those whose lives appear to be in a rut. Indeed, depending on what they are, your habits can make or break you.

Habits are your ways of thinking and acting which become automatic because of repetition. Habits can become so ingrained in your system that you end up doing them mindlessly. We are all creatures of habit, both good and bad. Oftentimes, bad habits prevent you from advancing and making rapid progress, so you must develop useful habits if you want to experience good changes in your life.

Your brain is responsible for developing habits. It is naturally equipped with a mechanism for recognizing patterns and associating these with stimuli. In time, your brain will send out automatic signals to your body every time it recognises specific stimuli. Not all behaviours become habits as psychologists maintain that it takes 21 days for you to learn a habit, but it may take more than 21 days for one to change a habit, if at all one is able to change.

Some healthy habits that can make you look and feel better include exercising regularly, making healthy food choices, quitting smoking, and getting enough sleep. You can also develop good habits for grooming, dressing, reading, giving and speaking. Other patterns of behaviour, however, may not be so easy to develop such as getting control of your life, thinking positively, overcoming addiction, and managing anger. Learn to recognize your limitations and seek help or advice at the earliest opportunity.

Here is my simple 3 step advice for changing habits;

1. Think of habits that you would like to change and write them down.

As habits are usually automatic, you may have to examine these patterns and determine which ones prevent you from improving your life. Putting them in writing can help you assess where you are and what needs to be done.

2. Start small and develop good habits gradually.

Older habits are usually more difficult to break and may take more time and effort to change. Start with habits that you think are easy for you to eliminate. The small changes that you make can produce good results which motivate you to work at changing other bad habits.

3. Begin a new habit and practice it for 21 days.

Improvements take time but they are not impossible to achieve if you start now. You may experience some resistance at the beginning of your 21-day habit. But having successfully coached others in changing their habits, Pat Mesiti assures you that it can only get easier as your brain and body gets used to the pattern after some time.

“It’s not what is taken from you that counts, but what you sow with what’s left.” – Pat Mesiti.

Perspective is how you view things. It is often referred to as a “point of view” that changes depending on where you stand and what you are looking at. Where you stand determines what you see. Differences in perspective may be also be due to your level of involvement, experience and position on a matter. In other cases, emotions, values, principles and influence affect your perspective of things as well.

Your perspective affects the way you respond to problems and challenges in life. Oftentimes, there is more than one perspective to a situation. Negative perspectives are limiting while positive ones are enabling.

If you take a negative perspective in a situation, chances are that your actions will be negative and will produce undesirable results as well. On the other hand, a positive perspective enables you to see the brighter side of things and explore more options to fix your situation.

When dealing with another person, viewing the situation through the other person’s eyes will greatly help in resolving conflict or arriving at a peaceful solution.

People generally experience similar challenges in life such as losing weight, starting a business or going through a difficult phase in a relationship. Some pass these challenges with flying colours while others fail to show visible signs of progress.

The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is often in perspective. When difficulties strike, you have a choice between breaking away from the downward spiral and sinking further.

While the size of a challenge may vary among persons, ultimately, it is how you respond to it that leads to success or failure. Regardless of what you are going through,to emerge a better person, you have to adopt the right perspective in life!