The Secret to Success Is Being Ready

"The great secret of success in life is for a man 

to be ready when his opportunity comes."

~Benjamin Disraeli

There are a lot of secrets about success, but this one is vital.  Opportunities may come to us, but we may not ready for them.  When we are not ready, we either ignore them, completely oblivious to them, or we attempt to seize the opportunity, but cannot deliver.  We are not ready for that opportunity, and thus, cannot really use it fully.  In this time of economic challenge, people are waiting for opportunities.  But they may be doing little to get ready for those opportunities.  It is a perfect use of your "waiting time" to do what you need to do to be ready, so that you will be able to use the opportunity fully. 

This week:  Ask yourself: "What do I need to do to really be ready to seize the opportunities that come to me?  Is there personal work I need to do to keep myself from self-sabotage?  Are there things I need in my business or in my career that can help better support me when opportunities come along?  Are there skills I need to further develop?"  Write down the ideas that come to you.  You might also want to ask a trusted friend or associate these questions.  Come up with a plan to implement growth in at least one area to help you get ready to take advantage of the opportunities that are coming your way.   Once you have that plan, take the first step!  (Planning isn't enough--you have to take action, too). 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome obstacles to their success.  She specializes in helping people overcome mindset limitations and ways that they sabotage themselves. For more information and free resources, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com . 

You Have to Choose

"You are doomed to make choices. This is life's greatest paradox."

~Dr. Wayne Dyer

Even when we postpone decisions, we are deciding.  Sometimes not deciding becomes a decision in its own right. No matter what, we MUST make choices in our lives.  We have so many opportunities, but at some point we must make a choice and restrict those opportunities.  It is unavoidable, and trying to keep from "losing" opportunities ensures that you will indeed lose them.You must make choices, and worrying about being "wrong" keeps you stuck.  Set your foot down on the path that is best for you and move forward.

This week:  Ask yourself: "Are there decisions I've been avoiding?  Are there choices I'm postponing?   Am I afraid of being wrong?"  Write down what you have been avoiding, and really examine honestly if fear of making mistakes with your choices has been keeping you from moving forward.  If so, know that the fear is a part of a limiting mindset.  It keeps you from taking a chance and making choices.  And by doing that it limits your ability to take advantage of any opportunities.  The key is being able to trust yourself enough and know that each decision takes you on a journey, and on each journey there are many lessons and much to see.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome limiting mindsets. She utilizes a variety of tools to help people make changes rapidly so that they can move on.  If you want more information about how she can help you and tools to help you when you are stuck, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .  

Keep Your Focus on the Main Thing

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."

~Stephen Covey

The New Year presents an opportunity for us to DREAM BIG and to create what we most want.  But to do that we must keep our focus on what is the "main thing."  What is most important in order to create the life we want?  What must we do to keep focused on the main thing and not be distracted by the bright shiny objects that surround us.  Our lives are full of opportunities and we must decide which of them most suit the outcome we really want.  When you keep the main thing the main thing you can most easily and effectively pursue that outcome.

This week:  Decide what is "the main thing" for you some time period--this month or this quarter or this year.  What do you really want and need in order to create what you most want?  Write it down and post it where you will see it several times during the day.  Keep your focus on this main thing during each day for this week.  At the end of the day, evaluate how well you did.  If you need to do something to keep your focus on the main thing, determine what that is and make adjustments.  At the end of the week, decide if you want to continue this exercise for another week.  How many weeks will it take for you to have made the main thing the main thing?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people make big changes in their lives.  She specializes in helping people determine what is most important in their lives and to rapidly move beyond self-imposed limitations by using her toolbox of solution-focused techniques.  For more information and to find resources to help you make changes quickly, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Opportunities May Be Right In Front of You

"Your big opportunity may be right where you are now."

~Napoleon Hill

Too often we wait for opportunities.  We think that they will come under some sort of special circumstances.  The reality is that there are probably opportunities right in front of you.  There may be opportunities that can come to you from the things you are doing right now.  There may be opportunities that are right in front of you in your current job, or in your current relationships or even in your daily activities.  All it takes is allowing yourself to see opportunities.  The key is in beginning to notice them.  Once you do, you may find your big opportunity may be right where you are now.  But you have to notice it.

This week:  Spend some time looking around for the opportunities all around you.  Notice possible opportunities in your current situation.  Allow yourself to imagine and extrapolate from where you are right now.  Ask yourself "What if?" possibility questions.  "What could I create from this situation?"  "What problem needs to be solved and how might I create a solution?"  As you meet new people, look for ways to connect with opportunities they may offer.  Even if you are not interested, notice that opportunities are there.  You need to be able to recognize that opportunities are right in front of you, so that you can recognize the "big opportunity" when you see it.  As you begin to notice the opportunities all around you, jot them down.  At the end of the week, review your list and determine if there are any opportunities that you'd like to pursue.  If not, are there people you can share them with? 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at the Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, TN.  She is an expert at helping people make transformational changes in their lives and careers.  She often helps people identify and explore opportunities and determine what fits them and their life's purpose best.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Change Your Negative Thinking to Change Your Life

"What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds."

~Dr. Wayne Dyer

Many people don't realize that how they think about things helps shape what happens.  They dwell on all the things that could go wrong, they focus on the negatives, and then are dismayed when life keeps giving them lemons.  If you want to change how your life is going, change your thinking.  Focus instead on possibilities, opportunities, and all that is positive. 

This week:  Focus on things that are going in the direction you would like.  They don't have to be perfect, just headed in the right direction. Notice when you think negatively, and immediately change that negative to something positive.  It doesn't have to be "pie in the sky" positive, just add words to make it true.  For example, you might change "I never reach the financial goals I set" to "I haven't reached my financial goal yet, but I"m determined to do it."  Give yourself credit for what you have done so far.  Like any muscle, your brain will get stronger as you stretch it.  Focus on what you want to have happen, and what you are doing to make it so.  You are in charge of your life, and can really begin to see that fact when you change your thinking.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people change negative and limiting beliefs.  She has developed a powerful program to help her clients move beyond negative emotions and limiting beliefs that have been stockpiled from negative past experiences.  Her Life Moments Makeover System-TM allows people to make very significant life changes in 4-5 days.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Be Willing to Change Your Plans

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

~ Joseph Campbell

So often we allow ourselves to be "stuck" because we are waiting for or struggling to have the life we had planned to have. While there's nothing wrong with setting goals for your life or planning the sort of life you would like to have, sometimes you have to be willing to let go of those plans. You have to be willing to embrace the life that is presenting itself. Unless you are willing to explore the opportunities that are presenting themselves for a different life--one you had not planned for--you may miss out on great joy and a chance to make a difference.

This week: Allow yourself to notice the direction your life seems to be going. Are there opportunities there you had not allowed yourself acknowledge? Ask yourself: "What would happen if I let go of the life I had planned to have? Are there new opportunities out there for me?" Explore possibilities, if only in your imagination.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people create new directions in their lives and take action to achieve those goals they had not even dreamed possible. She specializes in helping people overcome negative emotions from the past and limiting beliefs that block success and happiness. For more information about her solution-focused approach, got to http:www.InnerResourceCenter.com

Live with Meaning and Joy!

"Maybe you are here on earth to learn that life is what you make of it, and it's to be enjoyed."

~Dick Sutphen

Sometimes people think that they are victims of Fate or circumstances. They work hard to live their lives in a meaningful way, but forget to enjoy the time they have on this earth. I believe that when you have discovered your life's purpose, and begin to live it, you can more fully enjoy your life. You can choose the life you want to live--by choosing how you react to the circumstances that occur. You make the meaning of your life, and you can choose to live your life with with joy!

This week: Look for opportunities to choose to change the meaning you assign to the circumstances and events in your life. Put yourself in charge of making your life the way you want it, rather than reacting to it. And along the way, look for opportunities this week to enjoy yourself. Then, at the end of the week, notice what you think about the week that has passed. Is it better? More joyful? Do you feel less like a "victim?"

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and author of the audio CD/workbook program: Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning and Authenticity. For more information go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com and sign up for her monthly report Inner Resources.