Tara West » Success Mindset

STOP Sabotaging Yourself!

Tara — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 08:34:05 +0000

Every day you allow your subconscious mind to take over every action and decision that you make. This impacts on the steps you take to move forward in your life, the dreams and goals you set for yourself, and the overall wellbeing of your present state.

By listening to the little saboteur – whose job, incidentally, is to stop you from moving forward – or listening to ingrained messages that are either negative or do not stimulate you to look for answers and solutions, you have allowed yourself to remain in a comfort zone… that muscle in your brain is getting no exercise.

Which is a real shame, as you CAN go farther than you’ve ever imagined. Because you DO have all the answers within you, you DO have all the solutions, and you CAN step out confidently with passion and purpose to gain anything you desire in life. Provided you give yourself permission to do so first, have belief that you can attain your goals, and train your mind to seek out the answers you need.

You are more intelligent than you give yourself credit for. Your mind loves to come up with solutions to your problems or needs, if you give it the permission to do so. By changing your thought patterns and the questions you ask of yourself, you give your mind an opportunity to play a game, to challenge itself, to kick into gear and provide you with insights and inspiration that can take you to the next level.

Here are 3 power questions to some common challenges or obstacles that will help you move forward in life:

1) “How Can I Afford It?” replaces “I can’t afford it”. By saying “I can’t afford it” you are insulting your own intelligence and training your mind to shut off any possibilities. “I can’t afford it” is a closed statement and you are, in effect, telling your brain to be quiet and shut up.

- Statement of Proof: Try this exercise. Hold in your mind a powerful image of something you would love to own or do that involves spending a lot of money you don’t currently have. Perhaps you would like to take an exotic holiday, drive a Porsche, start a business, buy a house. Whatever it is that is close to your heart, close your eyes and then see it in your mind. Whilst looking at that picture in your mind, say to yourself out loud “I can’t afford it”. What happens? How did you feel? Take note of your feelings and how your brain actually felt. Close your eyes and again see the image clearly in your mind. Say out loud “How can I afford it?”. What happens this time? How did you feel? What happened to your mind? Did you feel it jump up and down with excitement that it was allowed to race into gear to find out how you COULD afford it?

2) “If I could do it over again, what would I do differently?” replaces the statement: “I’m always doing things the wrong way”. I challenge you to remove the words “always” and “never” when talking about yourself – in particular, when you’re beating yourself up! Do you really believe that you never learn anything? Of course not! So how can you always be doing things the wrong way? Next time you hear yourself saying something like “I’m always doing things the wrong way” or “I never do anything right” or similar, stop and ask yourself “If I could do it over again, what would I do differently?” Let your mind objectively look at what you did and come up with solutions that will better equip you for next time.

3) “What’s the worst that could happen?” replaces “I’m frightened / scared I won’t be able to do it”. Sometimes our little saboteur likes to chime in and stop you from moving forward.

- Statement of Proof: Try this exercise. Hold in your mind a big dream or goal you have always wanted to accomplish but have been too scared to start. It may be a new job, trying something new in your business, commencing study, or relocating to the other side of the country. Whatever it is that you would love to do but have always held back, close your eyes and see that dream or goal in your mind. Let’s face it, if you haven’t taken steps toward that dream or goal, your little saboteur has been saying something like “I’m frightened I can’t do it” or “I’m not good enough to do that” or “I will fail”. Say out loud “I’m frightened I can’t do it” or something similar that has meaning to you. What happens? How did you feel? It’s not a nice feeling is it. Close your eyes and again see the dream or goal clearly in your mind. Say out loud “What’s the worst that could happen?”. What happens this time? How did you feel? Did your mind exult at being let out to play? Did you imagine a few scenarios? Were those scenarios small, big or huge issues? Are they really as big or huge as you think they are? If so, what steps can you take to make them smaller?

Can you start to see the shift when you ask your mind some powerful questions? Observe your speech and thoughts over the next few days and start replacing de-motivating words and statements with power questions.

If you catch yourself saying the same or similar things, write down a power question and stick it in a prominent place where you can see it everyday as a reminder – this could be on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, or in your wallet. When you hear yourself saying something negative, read the power question and see how it unlocks your mind for real, tangible transformation.

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.” ~ Napoleon Hill

What power questions do you like to use? What kicks your brain into gear? Please share in the comment box below as YOUR power question may help someone else

If you want better, greater and faster results then consider partnering with a Coach. Get a Free Introduction.

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Top 5 Success Traits of the Super Successful

Tara — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:02:45 +0000

Top Five Success Traits of the Super Successful and How You Can Develop These Traits Too.

Even though wildly successful people all share certain traits, they’re not super-human traits. You can identify and develop these traits if you truly want to succeed. Yes, with hard work and determination, you can become one of the super successful!

In your journey to achieve your goals, you’ll invariably have to deal with challenges, and even setbacks, from time to time. Every successful person faces some hardship along the way. However, it’s important to remember that those with the drive to succeed will stop at nothing until they achieve their success.

Here are the top five super success traits, along with tips to help you acquire them:

1. Strong beliefs in yourself and what you’re doing. Put your whole heart into your endeavors and truly believe that you can succeed in what you set out to accomplish. If you run into a snag in the road, find something positive you can learn from the situation and use that to keep moving forward. If necessary, develop a new plan to overcome the challenge.

Think positively about yourself in all aspects of your life. In order to avoid being too critical, keep in mind that no one is perfect and accept that you’ll make mistakes just like any other human. As valuable learning experiences, mistakes can actually benefit you.

2. Being organized and having clear plans. Successful people are organized. They know what they want and how they’re going to get there. They develop clear goals with specific action steps to achieve them. Plus, they know where they are on that road to success at all times.

You can develop this skill by starting with your general organizational skills. Start small by organizing your desk space. Then organize your notes. Move onto planning out your success by setting clear goals.
What do you want? How are you going to get there? Make a detailed plan of achievable action steps that will take you all the way through accomplishing your goal. Then follow your plan. It’s your map to success.

3. Perseverance. Sometimes the difference between success and failure is pure perseverance. There will be times when you’re faced with difficult challenges. You may even feel like giving up. However, it’s important to find the strength within you to pull yourself through, even in these tough times.

In order to develop perseverance, reflect on how you normally handle conflicts in life. Do you give up easily when faced with a challenge? Think of those times you gave up. What could you have done differently to encourage yourself to keep going?
After reflecting on your normal mode of operation, start changing your mindset about challenges. Instead of bemoaning the challenge, seek a way to overcome it so you can complete your task. Do this each day, with even small challenges, and soon you’ll find yourself persevering through larger challenges with ease.

4. The drive to keep learning and achieving. Super successful people realize that they’re always students. They may be a master of a certain subject, but there’s always something new they can develop or learn. Once they achieve one goal, then they use their current knowledge to help them learn something else that brings them even more success.

It’s okay to take a break to enjoy your success once you’ve achieved a goal, but always ask yourself what’s next. There’s always a way that you can expand your success.

5. No fear of failure. The super successful don’t waste their time worrying about failure. They know that everyone must take certain risks if they’re going to achieve success and that some ideas might not work out. You only fail if you give up or decide not to try at all. If you’re still trying, then you haven’t failed!

Just as with the other traits, overcoming a fear of failure can be accomplished by starting small. Start out by taking some minor risks. See how most of them work out fine when you expect the best and seek solutions to the challenges? The more ideas you try, the more successes you’ll have, and you’ll feel confident about forging ahead without fear.

To attain the life of the super successful, the most important thing to remember is to always give your all. Adopt these success traits as your own, and soon you’ll find that nothing can stop you from achieving your goals!

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Reprogramming Your Brain To Conquer Any Goal

Tara — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:02:06 +0000

Do you feel like you are always talking yourself out of success? As soon as you start to set goals for yourself, do you suddenly have nagging thoughts about how you aren’t up to the task or how you simply aren’t qualified to carry it through?

If you have ever experienced either situation, you need to change the way you respond to your inner dialogue. Instead of obeying your negative commands, you can use positive self-talk to counter the negativity and overcome nearly all anxious thoughts.

Setting Goals and Sticking to Them with Positive Self-Talk

Are you initially filled with excitement when you first set goals for yourself? Are these thoughts then followed by self-doubt and self-defeating thoughts that stop you in your tracks before you even get started?

It can be difficult to make the most of your life when you are constantly talking yourself out of being a success. It can be frustrating and discouraging to have these thoughts constantly plaguing you. Many of us, in fact, don’t even realize we have them! All we know is that we don’t have the confidence to stick to our plans and reach our goals.

But there’s another way!

Positive self-talk is an effective way to set goals and ensure that you stick to them, even if you have never been able to do this before. The way this works is that you decide what goal is important to you, and then you plan the logistics of how you are going to attain this goal. When self-doubt starts kicking in, you will respond with affirmations that prove your success without surrendering to the negative pressure. Since you’re reading this article, it’s clear that you’re no quitter and you’re certainly not a failure, so start believing in yourself!

Re-Programming Your Brain

Affirmations are essentially positive statements that re-program your mind for the positive. The moment you have a self-defeating thought you’d be able to counter the negative with a motivating statement. An example of a positive affirmation is: “I am worthy of great success,” or “I am in the winner’s circle.” What this does is replace negativity with thoughts that will help you move toward your goals instead of further away from them.

Positive self-talk is easier to implement than you might think. You may not be aware of the severity of the negative dialogue currently within your mind. However, once you begin with positive self-talk, you will suddenly realize that you are self-sabotaging the goals you set for yourself from the minute that you make them. This process can open your eyes to exactly how much this inner conversation has been interfering with your life. You’ll feel hopeful that you can now set goals and surpass them.

Through positive self-talk you will be able easily set long and short-term goals for yourself. And when you use affirmations, you’ll have accessible tools to help you push yourself further than ever before. Learning to quiet negativity with positive thoughts is a great move toward setting and attaining future goals with ease.

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Inspirational Quotes Video

Tara — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:50:44 +0000

Life = Living Imaginable Fun Everyday Are you living life out loud?

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Inspirational Quotes

Circumstances don’t make, but REVEAL you!

Tara — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:10:34 +0000

Circumstances do not make the man, but reveal him. James Allen.

Truer words have never been spoken. Throughout the ages seemingly great men and great women have been exposed as less than noble, less than genuine and even less than human when faced with challenging circumstances. The reverse is also true – Men and woman who seemed ordinary and average when thrust into the most difficult situations have risen to extraordinary heights of character, leadership and excellence.

Watching this great “revealing” is the stuff history and legends are made of. Observing a person in a challenging situation or circumstance will manifest much about who they are deep, deep inside and what they will likely do in the future. What you are at your core is your center of strength and that ability to do what is right, under pressure or even when no one is looking, is the core of your personal integrity.

Anything that lacks integrity is unstable, as any engineer will tell you. A bridge or skyscraper that has structural integrity simply does what it was built to do. It isn’t necessarily perfect. It could have flaws. But, under stress, pressure and repeated use, it does what it was built to do. Even in extreme circumstances it will do what it was designed to do. If, on the other hand, a structure does not have structural integrity, it will at some point fail, as was the case with the world’s first jet airliner, the British-made de Havilland Comet.

When the Comet was introduced in 1949, the future seemed bright for jet travel and the Comet was the undisputed, front-and-center leader – until three Comets unexpectedly disintegrated in flight, killing all aboard. The planes were grounded as puzzled engineers worked feverishly to understand why they had operated flawlessly at first, only to break apart later in midair. The engineers set up a fuselage in a large pool and pumped water in and out, simulating the effects of repeated cabin pressurization. At first, the experiment revealed nothing, nothing at all. But over time the pressurized circumstances yielded a startling discovery. The repeated stress caused small, microscopic cracks to form around the rectangular windows, cracks that would eventually widened into gaping holes. The planes could not withstand repeated pressure. They lacked structural integrity and the pressurized circumstances revealed what the Comet was at it’s core – a bright shiny pretender that was not secure or safe.

You and I live in a world filled with pressure and pressure filled circumstances – pressure to accomplish, pressure to get ahead, pressure to be smarter than we are, pressure to conform, pressure to be popular, pressure to appear successful, pressure to earn large incomes. None of us are perfect. We all have flaws for sure. How, then, under repeated pressure, can we avoid allowing small cracks in our integrity to form? How can we be sure that our character is structurally sound? How can we stay true to our core regardless of setting or circumstance?

Ultimately this is an exercise of not only looking in the mirror, but looking deep into our hearts and souls and asking uncomfortable questions of ourselves. When you find yourself in challenging circumstances what are you learning about yourself? Do you like what is being revealed? If not, why not? And while we cannot control those around us during difficult time, and it can be devastatingly disappointing to watch false friends or self-serving leaders crumble and reveal their true stripes and identity at such times, ultimately it comes down to ensuring that your own structural integrity reveals your greatness to the world.

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Does the Law of Attraction REALLY Work?

Tara — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:34:00 +0000

Earlier this week, I was in a call with my coach Julie (yes, coaches have coaches too!), and I opened up a topic about some eBooks I had written and published back in the 90’s and that I continue to revise on a regular basis; and how an idea had popped into my head about doing something different with them.

Some thoughts were jumping around in my head, but I hadn’t really clarified clearly what I wanted. So, as all good coaches do, Julie fired some questions my way and, by the end of the call, my vision was clearer and I had started to map out a path and journey that I wanted to take with my eBooks.

Before I share with you this amazing story; firstly, a little background.

Initially, I sold my eBooks as a standalone product, which I changed in 2001 and incorporated into some software that I developed – so they were no longer a standalone product.

In 2005 – around 10 years after I wrote the original version – I suddenly felt motivated to register my eBooks and apply for ISBNs. I had no idea why I needed to do that; but the urging was strong so I listened to my heart and did it. As the ISBN Agency states on their website: “The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. Each number identifies a unique edition of a publication, from one specific publisher, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.” The significance of this will become clear in a moment.

For a little while now, I have had this ‘feeling’ that I need to separate the eBooks from the software and, once again, offer as a standalone product. In fact, the feelings have been getting stronger, so I realised it must be for a reason, and that is when the thought popped into my head that I need to do something with it – and this is when Julie stepped in with some coaching to help me define this ever-persistent pull.

If you have ever worked with a coach, you know and understand the POWER of saying your thoughts out loud and then working through your ideas to arrive at some solid solutions and, importantly, an action plan to see that solution to fruition. One of these powers in saying your thoughts and intentions out loud, is that you are bedding it down and throwing that conscious thought out into the Universe.

And so it began for me. My thoughts and intentions were out there… my journey was starting.

Almost every night I fall to sleep with special affirmations that I have recorded… that day (which was a Monday), I re-recorded my affirmations to incorporate my intentions with my eBooks.

Starting that day, I played my own movie and saw my vision; saw myself in that vision. I was there already.

Starting that day, I took action steps toward my vision and acted with urgency. And, as I do every day, I took time to reflect and give deep gratitude for what has happened in my life that day.

Let’s fast forward to Friday.

Whilst I had taken action steps over the last four days, the eBooks were still ‘wrapped’ as a bundle with my software products and my plans were still in the beginning phases, including revisions, new website, new marketing plans, and so on.

At 10.15 Friday morning, I received a phone call. I find this time significant. Because on Monday, I finished my coaching call with Julie at 10.14am.

Who was on the call? An International supplier of (ISBN-registered) technical and academic printed books and eBooks to public libraries and university libraries. This organisation wants to promote my eBooks to libraries within Australia and Singapore. WOW!

Was it a coincidence that I felt a need to register my eBooks with ISBNs? No.

Was it a coincidence that I felt an urgent need to overhaul what I am currently doing with my eBooks? No.

Was it a coincidence that I felt a need to discuss it with my coach that galvanised me into action? No.

Was it a coincidence that this company rang me out of the blue? No.

Does the Law of Attraction REALLY work? Yes, it does. It has been proven to me, time and time again.

There are no coincidences in life. You DO attract what you think; on a conscious and subconscious level. When you have a desire for something – which comes from a place deep within your heart – when you apply consistent efforts and positive thoughts, coupled with a genuine gratitude for what you have in your life, RIGHT NOW, you will be astounded at what starts to transpire in your life.

What has happened in your life using the Law of Attraction (or happened without you even knowing it was the Law of Attraction at play)? Please share with me your stories and / or thoughts.

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Power Thoughts

Tara — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:46:00 +0000

I was watching a video in the iLearningGlobal member area on the ‘States of Mind’ by Dennis Deaton; where Dennis provides insights into habitual thought patterns and mental circuitry, and how you can change your life around by thinking powerfully and consistently – after all, our thoughts can either make us or break us.

One concept Dennis shared throughout the video series was in having your very own power thoughts that you can tap into to switch your thinking. And I just loved his powerful thought when dealing with fears that may be holding you back: “If it looks like death, it’s probably life… run to it.”

What power thoughts can you come up with? I challenge you in thinking about it now, jotting them down and memorising so they are ready when you need them.

Dennis mentioned another concept that I found very interesting; and of which I am also guilty of doing on occasions. And it is this: rather than repress your thoughts, acknowledge and redirect.

After all, if you’re already thinking the thought, it is in your brain so there’s no point in trying to squash it. Instead, acknowledge the thought you are having and redirect the thought in another way so it is positive. Dennis gave a very good example of this in respect to chocolate cake. If you’re thinking about the cake but you know you can’t have it, you try and forget about the thought. Instead redirect, and then move on.

Think powerfully and consistently and your thoughts will make you, instead of break you.

“The fundamental and distinguishing characteristic of high achievers… is their thought processes”
~ Dennis Deaton

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Are Your Goals Buried In The Garden?

Tara — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 01:53:40 +0000

Whilst we have good intentions at the beginning of a new year in setting goals, it’s a bit like planting something in your garden.

We love what we’ve planted and so we begin to water it and look after it. There’s a growth spurt so we water it some more. Then some distractions enter our life, and we forget to water it, suddenly the weeds encroach on what we’ve planted, and it dies. It’s a bit like goals.

Harvard Medical School conducted a study and the results were quite amazing. 70% of people who set goals don’t achieve them. However, 98% of people who call them Promises achieved their goal.

That’s a startling difference, don’t you agree? Would you prefer to be in the 98% or the 30% who achieve their goals?

America’s billionaire, Bill Bartmann (named as “One of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Last 100 Years”), has a fantastic 10-step process for setting and keeping your Promises:

Ensure it’s YOUR goal, your vision, your quest; not someone else’s. “Our life is the most precious asset we have” Bill Bartmann. Don’t give up your dreams to make someone else happy.
Call your goals a ‘PROMISE’. Our brain is an amazing instrument. It is usually inherent within us to keep our promises… when we promise to do X by X date, our brain and our heart kicks in and we want to fulfil that promise. On the other hand, our brain can associate goals with failure. Think about that for a minute. How many times have you promised something either to yourself or someone else, and you fulfilled that promise? Then think about how many times you have set goals and the amount of times you achieved those goals. Promises will outweigh goals.
Clearly identify your Promise. Don’t be vague. Instead of saying I would like to lose weight, be specific… how much weight would you like to lose and by when?
Use the tools around you as motivators to keep you going. Positive motivators may be the people you love – negative motivators may be those who say you can’t do it; prove them wrong and use it as a driving influence.
Create a Promise Plan. Promises aren’t promises until you’ve written them down. Define what your Promise is; when you will achieve your Promise; where you will be when it happens; why you want it; who you need help from to fulfil your Promise; and an ongoing list of how you will fulfil your Promise. It is not necessary to know ALL of the how… have faith that you will find the answers as your travel through the journey. Bill Bartmann provided a great story as it relates to the how:
You have set off on a 200 mile trip in the dark. Your headlights are on which shines a 200ft path for you, which you follow. You don’t need the headlights to shine up the whole 200 miles… you only need to know each 200ft to get there. Your ‘how’ is like the 200ft path. You don’t need to know the whole 200 miles.
Review your plan and Promise on a regular basis: 20 MINUTES EVERY DAY. By doing so, the how will materialise and the pieces come together. You are melding your conscious and subconscious which will give you the answers you need. Create a Tangible Vision of your Promise and stick it in a prominent place where you can see it every day.
Remove any negative thoughts from your mind and tell yourself you WILL succeed. Feed your mind with positive affirmations. You could do this by sticking them near your computer, on your mirror or wherever else you see fit. Another great method is recording your affirmations and then playing them as you drift off to sleep.
Inform others of your Promise… don’t hide them in the cupboard! Commit to your Promise and share your vision.
Envision the results. Play your own mind movie and picture yourself already there. Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen cite a great exercise in their book ‘Cash In A Flash’. Write an article (from a journalist’s perspective) that appears about YOU and your Promise… imagine a journalist writing about your accomplishments – it’s made front page news!
START! Do something now, today, to begin your Promise Journey.

What tools and resources do you use to accomplish your Promises? Share with me your thoughts

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Your Entrepreneurial Mindset

Tara — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:38:28 +0000

Quantum physics has been spectacularly successful in verifying what eastern mystics have known for 2500 years. It is not our brain that gives rise to our consciousness, instead it is our consciousness, or mind, that creates everything that seems so real to us. Ref: http://www.justmindpower.com/

So what do you think of that statement?

You know, I can recall a time from way back when I got out of bed, the kettle wouldn’t boil fast enough, then the toothpaste flew out of the tube and landed with a big thump on the mirror, and the clothes I wanted to wear that day weren’t ironed…

And…

I would groan out loud, give a big sigh and just want to crawl back into bed. I thought to myself the day was a disaster and it couldn’t get any better!

You know what? It didn’t.

Simply because I let my mind create my reality for that ENTIRE day, and of course, true to the law of attraction, it didn’t get any better; in fact it got worse!

I’m sure you can relate to this from some event in your life.

Thankfully, I learned about the power of our conscious mind and how I can so quickly, and easily, change my thought patterns to totally change not just that day, but every day.

So getting back to the little scenario I outlined above… if you’ve experienced something similar, wouldn’t you agree that the opposite is true?

If you can so easily turn a not-so-good day into a really bad day, then don’t you believe that you can turn an okay day into a fabulous day?

It comes back to your attitude, would you agree?

Which leads me into your entrepreneurial mindset.

To be a true master of your entrepreneurial destiny, it is so important that you cultivate a mindset of success. Think like an entrepreneur, act like an entrepreneur, surround yourself with your entrepreneurial vision and lifestyle.

So here’s a fun exercise for you… to feed your mind with your entrepreneurial vision, I’d like to challenge you in putting together your “Prosperity Board”. What is it?

Basically, it’s a pin-up board or whatever else you may choose and it’s a visual affirmation of you, as an Entrepreneur. A Prosperity Board is a powerful tool that appeals directly to the right side of your brain, which is the part of your brain that responds to feelings and images.

Include any pictures or words that symbolise your success and what you truly want in life and business. By focusing your energies on what you want to manifest in your life, your creative imagination will simply cause it to become a reality…

And that, my friend, is coming straight back to your consciousness that I mentioned earlier, where you are creating your reality.

Here’s some directions for creating your Prosperity Board:

Get a medium size pin-up board or poster board – something you can easily pin stuff to and change whenever you feel like it.
Then hang your board in a prominent place where you can see it EVERY DAY.
Next, cut out pictures and words from magazines, newspapers etc that depict YOU as a successful entrepreneur. For example, you may be driving a really cool Lamborghini!! (Be creative if you want and doctor it in a photo editing program… put yourself in the car!) You may also like to list your goals and pictures that relate to health and prosperity, as well as pictures that represent a flourishing business.
Then, cut out the elements and just stick it on the board. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way in doing this… the goal is to have fun and encapsulate YOU as a successful entrepreneur. If it makes you feel great when you look at it, then you’re speaking to your heart.

Looking frequently at your Prosperity Board cultivates your entrepreneurial mindset and reminds you of who you are… not in the future… but NOW. It’s so important you LIVE your future life in the NOW.

When you’ve achieved a particular milestone that’s on your board, take it down and in big letters write THANK YOU across the picture.

Have fun putting together your board.

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