Don't sweat the small stuff!

       In these hard economic times we are constantly faced with choices and fill ourselves with worry.  Stress is a very serious problem during financial hardship.  Back in the early 90's, I made an average income of $14,000 a year.  I was lucky to get my own health insurance let alone get any for my wife.  The house and cars needed work and our first child was on the way.  On months that had 5 weeks in it made me over qualified for assistance by a mere $15.  My daughter was born under the Welfare System and after that experience I swore that it would never happen again.  With in the next year I more than doubled my average yearly income.  I could have sat around worrying or stressing out but instead I went into action.

Five Things I've Learned to Become Successful in Life by Patric Chan

Another month has passed and life continues to grow towards what you want or the other way round.




Did you set a goal early this year? Well, did you get what you want by now - after so many months of working hard for it? Apparently, most people don't and that's the problem with setting goals.



We cannot be setting goals with the intention of trying to get what we want because that will become a chasing game which will wear you out. Maybe not for you, but I know I will when I'm chasing 'something'. The goal must be a part of us. My goal is to become who I want and where I want to be mentally and physically.



Your goals must be something that you achieve internally so that you can see it, taste it, smell it and feel it.



Wealth. Love. Connection. Knowledge. Experience.



If you were to evaluate what's success, it boils down to being happy.



I'm not trying to play Zen Master here but to make a point how we make our lives complicated without understanding the true purpose of our action. Life doesn't have to be that way.



There are a few things I've learned from observations and experiencing this year and I'm glad to share them with you today. Who knows, they may give you a shortcut for your journey to obtain the success you're seeking...



i. Your mind attracts what you want. This year, I have my fair share of enjoying successes and experiencing setbacks in life. And when I sit back to think about it, they come in 'sequences'. Once I've gained success, I'll have the momentum to get another one. When I failed and stay in that state, another failure will come again. I don't know, some called it Law of Attraction. To me, I strongly believe that you get what you want based on what your mind thinks because it 'attracts'.



ii. There's one time Grandma falls sick and stayed in the hospital for couple of days. When I visited her in the hospital, I felt blessed that she's still in this beautiful world. Although it's nothing serious, but my heart tells me one thing- nothing in this world will give me the same love and relationship I have with her.



There are only two factors that will remove your love and relationship with someone you care about- when he/she is no longer here or you have ignored the treasure you have today for something that is less valuable but perceived to be valuable. Let me warn you-- once they're gone, they're gone. You should know who to call, hug or kiss by now.



iii. Know your roots. If you're successful today, you're probably once a 'nobody'. Always be humble because it will give you more success in life. I mean, isn't that how you got to where you are today? Knowing your roots also means remembering those who have supported you when you're growing and stayed by your side through thin and thickness. They are just there because they want to be there for you with no other hidden expectations.



iv. Explore life like there's no ending. Listen to new music. Visit new places. Eat at new restaurants. Play new sports. Meet new people. And an endless list of things you can do regardless of whether you're wealthy or not. You see, money doesn't stop you from exploring life. Obviously, you can't do the many things that Bill Gates or Richard Branson can do but there are easily hundreds of things you can do with what you have today. Do you know why we live? I don't have the answer but I'm 100% sure it's not to work and whine about what we don't have.



v. Life is great. As I'm writing this, I'm in my new condominium with nice yellow lightings, listening to a wonderful music and my wife is making a cup of coffee for me. I can feel the cool breeze coming in from the balcony while sitting on a soft brand new, purple sofa. In front of me, I can see a mirror- and when I looked deep; I thank God for giving me this amazing life. Not because my Ego's saying I have an amazing life, but it's really true.



You have an amazing life whether you want to admit it or not. There are people sleeping on the streets today, wandering to look for food and so on. Because you're reading this, I dare to assume that you have a computer- which also means that you're under a roof and are an educated person. You have eyes to read and a wonderful brain to think. For that, life is already great. The rest are bonuses.



Some might complain about being financially broke. You can be broke but you can never be poor because being broke is a temporarily state that can be changed. It might not be now but with sheer persistence and effort combined with using the right information and a willingness to take action, it's just a matter of time before you look back satisfied and said, “I was once broke but now, I'm wealthy and living the life I've always wanted.” Does that sound good? Then, why not make it a reality because you can.



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Patric Chan is an international speaker, author and the founder of The Success Trace. Find out what are his other success formulas to achieve success you can use in your life quickly, Click Here To Achieve Your Success!

Life is too short!

     To start with, it has been some time since my last entry.  As you will find while seeking success, time is a precious commodity.  Time management is very important when it comes to becoming successful.  If you squander your time away on frivolous things, then your life becomes a waste of time and energy.  We are only on this Earth for a short time and it is best to use that time wisely.  Concentrate on what's important in life.  There are many things to enjoy in life such as our family or friends.  I remember someone telling me that I will regret what I haven't done more than what I have done.  At some point in life you may look back and ask "Where did the time go?"  "Why haven't I accomplished anything?"  If you have never seen the movie "The Bucket List" then I suggest you do.  It shows how living our lives to the fullest even when we know there may not be much time left can make our lives more fulfilling.

     So let's grab a pen and paper to start our own "Bucket List".  Why?  Simply put we want to have a list of things would like to accomplish before our time on Earth is up.  Remember, life throws a bunch of curves at us and no one can say for sure if tomorrow will ever come.  You need to take a good long look at the life you have lived so far.  What have I accomplished?  Where do I want to be in the coming months or years?  The list can start out with anything.  Any ideas can be put on the list because we will prioritize it and sort it out later.  This list will bring you on step closer to bringing out your success from within.

     Your list doesn't have to be elaborate.  Keep it simple, specific and genuine.  Things you want, not your spouse, children, boss or even friends.  Again as I had mentioned earlier that the only way to achieve your goals and dreams is to be totally selfish.  When you get what you want good things will come to your loved ones as well.

     Now that we have a list, it is time to prioritize it.  Your list will forever be changing according to your needs, wants and desires.  Look at your list and ask yourself "What do I want first?"  It is possible that on your way to getting that first item you may achieve other things on your list.  You want to clear your mind and envision how you plan to get there.  What is your first step to getting you closer to your goal?  Along with figuring out what you want first is to place a date on it.  When do you want to reach your goal?  Remember to be realistic.  If you know you can get it done in a few weeks don't set the date as tomorrow.  You will only put stress on yourself and be disappointed by unnecessary failure.  You want to get your mind working towards a solution.

     I've mentioned the need for time management.  Well here is what I use to get my thoughts organised and prioritize my goals.  Mark Joyner has developed the most useful tool called Simpleology.  Go to http://www.simpleology.com/ to sign up for free access to Simpleology 101.  I highly recommend this to organise and focus on your goals.  This program gets you thinking on how to achieve your goals and helps you keep on track.  I use this tool everyday and Marks program sets you up with the Web Cockpit which will organise your thoughts and prioritize your daily schedule.  Mark does offer other Simpleology programs that link to and enhance the usefullness of Simpleology 101.  Try it out and please let me know how it has been helping you achieve your success from within.

Starting down the road to success...

The road to success is a long and hard one but by creating small successes we can build up to a larger or huge success. Success is very much like a rollercoaster with many ups, downs, twists and turns.

The one thing that any successful person will tell you is that you need a “DREAM” or strong desire for something to become a true success. Now I’ve been to seminars, meetings and such that talk about the “DREAM”. I remember the first time I attended a function and sat there wondering “Why are we wasting time with this?” I wanted the meat and bones of how to achieve success but didn’t realize that the “DREAM” was the most important part. Success builds on success and all starts with the burning desire to achieve a dream. Having a dream is 90% of the formula to achieve success; the other 10% is the actual work it requires to get there.

We can take the dream and break it down into 3 main ingredients. I practice this very formula and label it P-F-M.

· P – Personal Goal

o You need your very own personal goal. You can not become successful by working towards someone else’s desires.

o Waking up happy and ready to face the day with a smile every morning is a personal goal.

· F – Financial

o You need to visualize a financial figure. An exact amount.

o An extra $1000 a month is a good example. Just saying “I want to make or have more money” won’t work.

· M – Material

o A physical possession.

o A new home or car would be a good example.

Next you need to write them down. It needs to be in writing or they will become vague, forgotten or less meaningful. Post-it notes, pictures or signs of what you want help reinforce the dream and desire to achieve your goals. Once you have them written down you’ll need to set a realistic date to achieve your goals. Placing a date on your goals gives them a sense of priority. If you never set a date then there is now sense of urgency to get what you desire. This defeats the purpose of having a dream. So many people give up on their dreams and settle for the everyday rut that society has set for our culture. I will later give sources for you to explore that will help you better understand the principle of setting goals and achieving your dreams.

As I mentioned before, I have been to many meetings and seminars that show how to become successful. I was in a particular program that made me search deep within myself to unleash my true desires in life. I had set a goal and a date to achieve it. It was not easy but since I wanted it so badly that the pieces just fell into place to bring about a successful conclusion to my goal. What was it you may ask? I wanted to take my family to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Money has always been an issue at times but because of my desire to fulfill this dream was so strong; I was able to overcome that obstacle. I managed to set aside the funding needed to have on of the most enjoyable vacations we had ever gone on. I didn’t know how I was going to do it but it happened because I focused on the end result. If you have the why, the how will surely follow. This principle also worked for my family to get a new home in a better area of the country. I didn’t know how I was going to make the move work and get the house I wanted but by setting a deadline and going with my dream I made it happen. I made a decision and stuck with it.

A very important thing to remember about the P-F-M formula is that once you achieve one goal you will need to create another goal to replace it. If you don’t then your life will slowly return to its present state and become stagnant. This has also occurred to me. It is easy to let life distract you from your goals and dreams. It is just as easy to get back on track as well by starting to implement your dreams. Success comes from the dreams we have from within.

Next I will discuss more of my personal experiences and share some of the sources that I have used to discover my “Success from Within”.

Realizing past success...

How does one realize past success? First we must define what success is. Success as defined at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/success

1. obsolete: OUTCOME, RESULT
2. a: degree or measure of succeeding b: favorable or desired outcome; also the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
3. one that succeeds

By this definition, success is NOT always about having tons of money or fancy things. It relates to many different areas of our lives. As we grow up we achieve many successes but never really apply them to building more. If one takes a success and builds on it, the subsequent successes will grow. Even in our daily lives we have success and never realize them. We just take it for granted that it is a natural occurrence and brush it off as everyday living.

How can every day living produce success?

If we look back on how we plan out our day, we can identify our daily successes. If you wanted to take a trip or a vacation, you would plan it. The same is true for success. To be successful one needs to have a plan but it's not just the plan that makes one successful. You must put the plan into action. If you planned your trip and never went, how successful was the trip? It wasn't, because you never put the plan into action. Now if you went on the trip and did the things you wanted and seen the sights you wanted, how successful was your trip? Very, you planned and then executed the plan for a successful conclusion. So you never thought that going on a trip could be considered a success.

Making a list and going shopping is a form of everyday success. If you go to buy a car or a house, find new employment, save money for a rainy day, make repairs, remodel, the list goes on and on. Go ahead, take a few moments to look at your daily life and see what successes you have accomplished lately. Sounds pretty simple doesn't it. If we are successful everyday, why is it so hard to increase our level of success? By building on previous successes you can and will achieve greater success.

Coming up: My own success story...