Most people just want to sell you the dream of success …….

Unlimited income, a life of unbridled luxury and freedom……..

You see, success is what sells and what everyone wants a part of.

But, back to reality because in 97% of those who start a home business the reality is not the huge success but disappointment, disillusionment and failure.

You see the figures do not lie – just 3% succeed.

So, how to get some good out of the bad?

Well, you see I have been 1 of the 97%, but I did not let it beat me because I was determined to become a 3%er.

You see, the biggest variable between the two poles is YOU, how you either accept the failure and just walk away or how you embrace it and learn from it.  How you turn your negative experiences into positive ones and how you learn from them to move on in life will determine future success (or lack of it).

So, have the big dreams, set the big goals, see the big house and new car and the life of freedom and keep moving towards those goals.  Never ever let them out of your sight and …. make sure that you get the coaching and mentoring from someone who has not only been where you might be right now but more importantly is where you want to be right now.

Right now here in the UK we have snow – yeah right , big deal, I can hear you say.

Let me explain…. For the last 7 or 8 years we have had very little snow (last year being the exception) so as a nation we have got used to moderate winters with very little disrupting weather.  English people are notorious for talking and complaining about the weather but as you will see in a minute… they are not good at adapting to its extremes.

We have snow, quite a few inches of it and it looks beautiful.  BUT, because we have got just a few inches of it the whole country has ground to a halt.  The US gets massive drifts of it for months on end and still manages to function and we get a few inches and most people grind to a halt.

Unbelievable!

The trains are not running,  the snow ploughs are nowhere to be seen, the grit wagons are probably still in the council garages (well, they sure as heck are not out on the roads where they should be).  Even worse than that, millions of people are making very little effort to actually get out to work and many schools are shut.  Do not get me wrong because some people are making a big effort to get on with their lives but also many are making no effort at all.  

My friends tell me of work colleagues who are making no attempt to get into work and who are using the weather as an excuse to stay at home.  Probably public sector employees who know they will be guaranteed full pay for not turning in so they have no incentive to try. I even heard a story a few minutes ago of 1 lady who lives opposite where she works asking to go home right now (it is hardly snowing and 1pm).  

The school where my daughter goes has been closed for 2 days because many staff did not get in (others did and full credit to them for trying), they could have scheduled a later start to give more people a chance but no they did not think outside the box they decided to shut instead.

In short England has now become the sort of country which struggles to adapt to changing circumstances, if someone throws it a curved ball, instead of changing strategy to catch it better next time it adopts the same strategy as last time and wonders why it drops it yet again. It has become a lame dog limping around dreaming of the days when it was a great force to be reckoned with.

Instead of using these challenges to make things better for next time it is allowing the same things to happen next time – it's just like ground hog day.

In the world of being an entrepreneur you have to learn to adapt to changing circumstances and you learn to see challenges as just that, challenges.  

Entrepreneurs do not give up in the face of some adversity they plough right through it with a determination to get through the obstacle coming out the other side as bigger stronger and better than before and having learned valuable lessons along the way. Obstacles are something to conquer, something to learn lessons and grow from and certainly NOT something to crush and conquer you.

The world and all that it throws at us helps the human spirit to grow and evolve, evolution is a process that produces the winners and losers and it is in times like this that the winners show through.

So, come on England lets show the world why we used to be called 'great' get up off your butt, put on your wellies and get on with your lives because a bit of different weather should not be closing us down.

Rant over  ………what do you think? Leave me some comments and add your thoughts.

As a family we love going to the Lake District for the beautiful scenery and walks.  A favorite of ours is a walk to a place called Orrest Head which is a high point which gives a complete view of the whole of lake Windermere providing it is a good clear day.

It is not a long walk to get to the top BUT it is steep and hard going and there have been times when I could easily have given up and gone back down to sit in a nice and warm cafe drinking tea and eating a piece of home made cake.  I have done this walk in winter when the weather has been freezing cold and wet and windy, I have done this walk in summer when the weather is lovely and warm. 

Everytime I do it I prepare myself for the 'slog' where I know my legs will feel like giving up and I know how they ache and how tired this makes me feel but I know the reward at the end and the effort is more than worth it.

The view is magnificent and awe inspiring with not only a full panoramic view of the lake but also a 360 degree view of the surrounding hills and fells – simply beautiful.

The view at the top is always worth the effort of getting there!

I have an internet marketing business where I coach others to success. I recently won a video marketing competition and then just 3 days ago I received an award from my primary company(one I was not expecting and a very nice surprise I can tell you!), I am regularly on the leaderboards and one of the company leaders

My 'climb' to the top of the internet marketing industry was not something that I managed overnight but was the effort of months if not years of hard work.  Like the walk to Orrest Head I found the going hard but instead of going back down the hill to the warm cafe I kept putting one foot in front of another and kept moving fowards.

Sometimes it felt like I was going forwards 1 pace and back 2 but I never gave up I just kept going and trying to move forwards. 

I spent long hours working on my websites and my marketing, I bought courses, studied (and still do) copywriting, video marketing, keyword research etc.  I spent late hours (and still do) attending webinars all over the world during the middle of the night here in the UK.  I have to be self motivated ever single day and be prepared to get up and get on with it .

Why do I do this?  Well, quite simply, like the walk to Orrest Head the journey to the top of my industry is an awesome climb and the effort and rewards are well worth it. 

However, unlike Orrest Head where you get to the summit then come back down, with a business you never actually get to the summit because you constantly strive to do better and go higher.  The ceiling is never reached just another milestone and then you set the next goal to achieve.

I love striving to go higher and achieve better, it gives me a buzz like nothing else.

I am willing to do what is needed to achieve my goals because I know the rewards are worth it.

I now have the lifestyle I always wanted, I work the hours I want to work, I can buy whatever I like BUT I have something far more precious because it is something money cannot buy …. my TIME

So, that brings me to YOU…. how prepared are you to do what it takes to get to your goals?

There is no point sitting and thinking about it because to make it happen you have to take action and commit to change.

Ready to get started?  Click here now

How heavily invested are you in your life and home business and what is your level of commitment to success?

This might sound like a pretty obvious and silly question BUT unless you are heavily invested emotionally, physically and financially you will struggle to succeed. Why?

Well, until you invest all your emotions, feelings and efforts into any project you are not fully engaged in making it a success. Just consider your relationships, hobbies and friendships. If your energy and emotions are not fully engaged then the results will not be as successful, fulfilling or rewarding as they could be.

Most people just cruise along in a comfort zone. They might wish they had more or better but that wish alone is not enough to spur them into action to change. As humans we get comfortable where we are at and moving out of this zone is something that can make most feel ‘uncomfortable’. We naturally pull back from moving out of our comfort zones and generally prefer the life and routine where things happen with a certain routine and predictability. When we do push ourselves our subconcious is screaming STOP stay here it’s ok it’s safe!

As we continue to push through the tension increases as does the level of discomfort, so do you throw in the towel or do you dig in your heels and become even more determined to move forwards? Entrepreneurs have the mindset that there is far more to be lost in not pushing these boundaries and in doing so they open themselves up to periods of huge growth. Serious entrepreneurs are willing to challenge themselves and to push their boundaries to the limits and beyond so that each time they do this they are redefined. They do not settle for being just ‘comfortable’ they know they are capable of more and accept and welcome the feelings of discomfort as a necessary part of growth. They work their home business as a true ‘business’ and show commitment, drive, and dedication.

That’s not to say that this is an easy process because once you have stretched yourself way out of your comfort zone there can be an overwhelming desire to slide back to where you were. This is why this process is the one that separates the successful from the unsuccessful and by committing to change and following this commitment with massive action no matter what we will succeed.
The level of financial commitment in a home based business will also determine your level of financial success providing of course that you have the other essential elements of good education, training, mentor and proven business model in place. Remember, there are none of the usual expenses such as rent, insurance, staff and inventory in a home based business so running costs are low once the initial start up has been paid. Profitability can be as high as 80% with a proven business model so it makes good business sense to be positioned as high as possible so that you can take full advantage of the compensation plan. This is the point where the feelings of financial discomfort begin to show.

If positioning yourself at the top is a financial stretch just remember, the higher your level of ‘discomfort’ the higher your propensity for growth (both financial and personal). There is nothing quite like the prospect of financial failure or impending poverty to kick you up the ass and make you all the more determined to succeed.

By pushing forwards through the pain and discomfort we reach a ‘snap’ point just like an elastic band reaching full stretch. This point is the make or break point that will sort out the ‘winner’ from the ‘losers’. Some will allow the recoil to bring them back to where they were and some will stretch it just that tiny bit further until it snaps.

The ‘snap’ point is that moment when we realise all the pain, hardship and effort was worth it and we know that we can and will do it again. It is where we come out at the other side with totally redefined boundaries. We are a different stronger and more aware person than we were when we were cruising along in comfort zone.

This characteristic is what makes entrepreneurs different, they constantly stretch and redefine their boundaries to new levels. Each time this happens their boundaries are redefined to new levels as they constantly make the seemingly impossible possible.
Then they begin all over again because their new view and level begins bit by bit to stretch all over again.

Living your dream & making more money is yours by rights! I have a question for you now – Are you truly happy with where you are at right now or do you yearn for more & better? The reality is that the majority yearn for more & better & it is this yearning that drives us to reach for the top. The photo abovve is at the top of Orrest Head just above Lake Windermere here in the UK and the views are some of the best I have ever had.  'The view from the top is always the best'

The 'more' that we crave might be to make more money, more happiness, a relationship, more time, a better lifestyle. Whatever 'more' means to you or me this is what drives us. Being an entrepreneur is all about striving to that next level, not giving in having faith & showing persistence. Making the dream a reality is where the fun starts. It is possible to be an Alchemist & make them a reality but only when the dreams are real enough & we create the right internal conditions for them to materialise. It is getting to the point of creating that optimum internal environment that is the hardest part. It is often so hard that many will give up thinking that it is not possible & just too hard- but as Paulo Coehlo says in his excellent book the Alchemist – we often give up the quest just as the palm trees begin to show on the horizon. It is with determination & vision & passion that will get us what/where we want to be.

An entrepreneur accepts responsibility for their current reality whether this good or bad. They created it & they have to accept responsibility for this & be grateful for it. Only then can we ready to move on to create the next stage. BUT until we are truly grateful for what we already do have we cannot move forwards. We then start with a dream or vision of what we would like to be or have. As the dream unfolds in our mind it does so in our heart & we begin to not only imagine having/holding whatever it is but also we begin to feel in our heart that we already have it. We feel it is already a part of us within us. It is this feeling & emotion & vision that we hold as we move towards its creation in a physical form.

Human nature makes us strive towards bigger & better goals & once they have been achieved we move on again. We need a purpose to give our lives meaning & we find it almost impossible to settle for too long with all that we currently have without wanting to move on for better & more. Think of Maslows hierarchy of needs, once our basic needs such as food & shelter have been met then we move onto others such as making more money, nicer clothes. We have a right to demand of ourselves perfection & should never settle for second best or just settle for where we are at right now. We are constantly looking for ways to improve on where we are at right now & by this I do not mean just in a material sense but on every level emotionally, spiritually, physical & materially. I am an entrepreneur & I am constantly thinking about how I can improve on what I do & I never settle for where I am right now. 'Right now' is just a stage in the journey as I am moving to the next stage. I do what I love so everything about my life I am passionate about – life is too short to be doing things that give me no joy. I love being able to inspire others to do as I have done. I love showing people how to do things, I love learning new things for myself & about myself.

My business allows me to do all of this & more so it fulfills all my needs for development BUT the side effect of all of this is that it allows me to earn more money -earn lots more money than if I were doing something that did not inspire me or instill passion in me. I do what I love & the money comes as a result of doing this. By living my dream & never settling for easy mediocrity I get far more from my life. By living the dream in every sense of the word my life is far 'richer' than I would ever have imagined it could be.

So, if you are settling for mediocrity, then my question to you is what is your dream? Why are you settling for where you are at right now? You & only you can change this to move forwards. You owe it to yourself to be the best you can possibly be & to have the best that you can. By reading this post on my blog means that you are not happy settling for all that your currently have – so what is stopping you from moving forwards? To read more about my story click right here

Over here in the UK there has been much in the news in the last few days about a lady who has been on one of these talent programmes that seem so very popular right now. The show is called Britains Got Talent (or something similar).

Susan Boyle is a lady who has lived alone with her cat for company. She seems to have been the object of village ridicule yet took it in good heart. She minded her own business, went to church and had a dream.
Her dream was to be a singer as big as Elaine Paige (musical star of the 1980′s), yet to look at Susan the odds were well stacked against her. She was a nobody, lived in a small village very quietly. Yet she kept her dream and kept practising her singing.

She took to the stage in the show and the judges and audience all were rolling their eyes in disbelief as she said she wanted to be a professional singer and then the music started and she began to sing. The girls who had just been rolling their eyes stopped and jumped up clapping, Simon Cowell wiped the cynical sneer from his face and started to smile and Piers Morgan sat unblinking not wanting to miss a note. The audience was on its feet by the end of the song.

Susan Boyle had her dream and was true to it – she never lost sight of it no matter how impossible it may have seemed. She knew what she wanted to be and she will be it!!
So, remember the next time your dreams seem so far away and so impossible that if your dream is big enough and you never lose sight of it – it can come true!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

A number of years ago I began to think about my life and how I wanted it to be instead of how it currently was. Not that I had anything to complain about, I had a well paid job in the corporate world, a nice car, a nice home, good friends and a wonderful family. But life was like living on a treadmill just going round and round, nothing changing. When I sat down and thought about it I accepted it was a good life but not as fulfilling as I wanted it to be & it was very routine.
One day I sat down and thought about what I truly did want to be doing. I decided that it was time to start living my dreams instead of just dreaming them inside my mind. I wanted to become a complementary therapist & instead of selling man made chemical drugs as I was at the time. I wanted to help people using natural methods and help improve the quality of their lives & to help them to take back some of the responsibility for their lives. I wanted to empower myself & in doing this be able to help others to do the same.
So, I sat down & thought about what I wanted. I wrote down on paper just what I wanted to become & I believed that I was already becoming it & guess what? Magic began to happen. I began to attract into my life exactly what I wanted. I found courses and teachers, clients just appeared to find me, new friends who were like minded began to appear and my income just kept rising. The best thing of all about this was that I was earning good money but on my terms doing something I absolutely loved. It never felt like work there were no Monday morning blues, no trying to think of excuses to get out of doing things, just motivation to be doing more of what I was doing.
Over the years if I needed a new focus then I just sat down and thought about where I wanted to be going & the ‘signs’ would appear to guide me there.
It was less than 2 years ago that I decided I wanted to free up more of my time. Therapies are great but can be very time consuming and it was time to be looking for something less intense. I now wanted to enjoy therapies as a hobby rather than my main form of income. I have been ‘unemployable’ in the conventional sense for many years so another ‘job’ was never an option. I was searching for something that involved me working from home on my terms. Not only did it have to free up my time it had to be very profitable financially & it had to be something where I could continue to help people enrich their lives & their experiences & to achieve success like me.
So, yet again I put this down onto paper in a vague loose sort of way. I was not entirely certain what it was that I wanted to do but I knew that by asking for help that I would be shown a way. One day not very long after this I saw a pop up advert on the internet. I clicked on it as it resonated with me. I knew immediately this was my next step, it was perfect for me on every count. It ticked all the boxes. It allowed me to create more time for me & my family, it allowed me to earn far more money than I previously dreamed would be possible, it allowed me to help others to do the same.
Although I have used this process for many years I still marvel at the magic of attraction & manifestation. Over these years I have unconsciously done what Napoleon Hill teaches in his famous book ‘Think & Grow Rich’

So how did I do this?
I began with a single thought – I wanted to be doing something better, different & more profitable with my life. Not only that, I wanted to be able to achieve this using less of my time and energy than before. I wanted my time free for my family so that we could be doing even more fun things. On top of this I wanted to be able to help others achieve success. Where possible I was very specific.
I kept these thoughts as a focus in my mind and then I wrote them down onto paper I asked for help and I put a time frame onto it. The action of putting pen to paper is such a powerful boost to the energy behind those thoughts. It propels them & is the process that turns them into reality. Not only did I have the thoughts and transfer them to paper but I also had the burning desire & determination in my mind and whole being that I was going to achieve this and more.
I also stated that in getting what I wanted it was not going to be a purely selfish act. Part of my masterplan was to be able to help others to achieve their dreams and goals too.
I asked for this to happen within a time frame.
Although I did not yet have a plan to put into action I did focus very strongly on knowing that when the opportunity came my way I would recognise it and act upon it immediately.
All this was written down and placed in a prominent position where I read it several times a day and I truly believed it was coming to me.
Failure was never an option, in fact the concept of failure never even entered my mind. All you need to focus on is this small formula
Faith mixed with Desire + Belief = Result!

Over the last 14 years I have been blessed with having a career I absolutely loved. I have been a Complementary Therapist & tutor. So I spent my days with clients doing Massage, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Hot Stones Massage to name a few treatments. I also spent a couple of days each week lecturing at a local college. If I could inspire just a few students to have half of the enthusiasm I had for my career then my time had been well spent. I always say that if I can make a difference to just 1 person per week then my efforts have been worthwhile.
However, as time goes by you begin to question how you can make your life easier & more comfortable & set new goals to help to move you forward & grow. I did just this less than 2 years ago & found my way to Internet Marketing & Coaching & found a company that not only had the same philosophies, values & outlook to life as myself, but also gave me the opportunity to do more of what I loved – helping others to become what they deserve to be. It also afforded me the opportunity to grow as a person into who I truly am.
However, I still loved the face to face interaction with students so kept a few hours teaching at college. Yesterday January 5th was the first day back from the Christmas holiday & as usual I got up & went to work with the usual enthusiasm very happy to be there. Then as the day wore on a dawning that had begun to break a few months earlier began to build in my mind.
Some of these students did not want to learn they did not care & they did not want to take responsibility for themselves to make something of their lives. They were expecting the college & me to ‘spoon feed’ them so that they did not even have to think for themselves. The commitment to their studies & their future & even to themselves was non existent in some cases. Once qualified, they hope to fall into a ‘job’ where they would not really have to work at or give anything back to. In short some were going to take a free ride & give nothing back or be victims of life. The blame would never lie with them but always with someone else.
I cannot help thinking that in some way they are not wrong. As society works today we are not given the dignity of making many our own choices & with a welfare state to ‘catch’ people as they fall there is a great lack of incentive for many to try. Some parents do not instill values in their children & we are not taught in school how to be accountable to ourselves or how to assume that responsibility & how to give back. They lead to the breeding of irresponsible, selfish young adults with low self esteem who contribute little of value to their society.
As an entrepreneur I take responsibility for my actions, I make myself accountable, I surround myself with like minded people who inspire me & who make me reach even higher. Gone are the days of settling for 2nd or even 3rd best, this is no longer acceptable to me. I have the choice to surround myself with people who make me feel great & inspire me, people who add something to my life or people who try to drag me down. Guess who I choose?
So, the upshot of the epiphany I had yesterday afternoon was that I quit & do you know what – I felt on top of the world & totally elated.
I chose to take responsibility for who I am & what I do & who I mix with. I do not need some other ‘unseen’ authority taking my decisions for me & I do not need a group of negative, irresponsible, unaccountable people robbing me of my hard earned positivity & success.
So, from now on I surround myself with other similar people who also think & act as I do & who strive to make not only our own lives richer but that of others too by making a positive contribution & paying back.
2009 Is already an exceptional year & it is only going to get better!

Check out the Youtube video! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl02yxaggkM