If you’re looking back on the past year (or 5, 10) and you’re NOT happy with where you are now, IT WILL NEVER GET BETTER.

Not if you keep doing the same stuff that’s gotten you the results you’re not happy with.

… you gotta change what you’re doing!

It’s not working.

If it was, you’d be thrilled with your progress.

But if you’re not, then it’s time to change.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Get absolutely focused on what you really want.

Do this by TURNING OFF THE DAMN COMPUTER
and just writing down the answer to this question:

“What do I REALLY want?”

2. Dump The Crap Out Of Your Brain.

You do this by writing down a huge list of EVERYTHING you THINK gotta do to in order to do what you REALLY want.

Just doing that will kind of “clear it from your brain” and free up space in your “mental computer’s” RAM.

3. Decide what’s doable.

You know that big list you just made that’s probably freaking you out?

Go through it and put star by all the stuff you can actually do.

4. Decide what you can do NOW.

Now. You know all the stuff with stars by it?

The stuff you can actually DO?

Go through all of it and find the stuff you can do in the next 30 days.

Put two stars by those items.

5. Screw the other stuff.

All the other stuff can be dealt with later.

Now – let me address critics in the audience who want to debate whether or not that’s a good strategy.

“Isn’t that procrastination?”

“Isn’t that other stuff important?”

The answer to both questions is …PROBABLY!

But here’s the deal.

You can’t do anything about it right now, and if you worry about it then you’re just taking away focus and energy from the stuff you CAN do.

And that’s not going to get you anywhere.

Also – actually DO the “immediately doable” things for the next 30 days, my experience tells me that your momentum will be so great you’ll actually be able to easily do a lot of the things from your list you originally thought were impossible for you.

You’ll also have new clarity and will probably find that much of the other stuff on the list isn’t even needed.

6. GET TO WORK.

Listen.

If you get all caught up on the little details, you’ll be in the same place a year from now.

Don’t let that happen.

7. ACCEPT REALITY

You wanna know something?

This is NOT gonna be easy…

But what other options do you have…

To keep living in regret?

To keep looking back year after year NOT happy with were you are TODAY?

STOP the insanity! Follow these steps and make change NOW!

You will be so glad you did!

Did you know that the primary difference between the 5 percent of people who are wealthy and those who are not is that the 95 percent focus their attention and extra time on entertainment, while the wealthy 5 percent invest their extra time in education.

I don’t know about you but I want to be in the 5% group of wealthy people in the world. This is why I do my very best to focus any extra time that I have on education and building my own business.

I watch one football game per year… the Super Bowl.  (and mostly for the commercials)

The only time I watch TV is with my wife maybe once a week and we do rent 1-2 movies a week as well.

Click on the below link to read the rest of this post from Darren Hardy’s blog. It’s awesome!  You can become part of the 5% group!

Think about it: What if the time you spend…

• reading the sports page, you read a self-improvement book?
• listening to sports talk radio, you listen to an instructional CD?
• watching ESPN or Sports Center, you watch a seminar DVD or read a book?
• talking about sports scores and players, you talk about your goals and plans to achieve them?
• playing fantasy sports, you role-play your key skills training?

How would the trade of that time investment change your life scores and statistics? I’m certain it would make YOU victorious… and far happier.

Oh, and let’s not leave out the non-sports fans. What if the time you spend…

• reading People magazine and other gossip rags, you read SUCCESS magazine?
• watching E! Entertainment, TMZ or Access Hollywood, you watched a seminar DVD or read a book?
• watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The Real Housewives, or Jersey Shore, you read a book about YOUR reality?
• talking (or gossiping) about other people’s lives and foibles, you talked about your lessons learned in life and plans for growth?

How would the trade of that time investment change your life scores and statistics? I’m certain it would make you victorious, and far happier.

Am I saying that anytime spent on any of the above for entertainment value is a bad thing? Of course not. What I am suggesting you look at, however, is the balance between the time you spend watching other people live out their dreams and the time you spend on making yours come true.

Last tip: Practice, train, develop, focus, and work as hard at your skills and career as the people you watch and admire do at theirs. Imagine that!

(Read entire post from Darren Hardy’s blog here: http://darrenhardy.success.com/2011/02/get-in-the-game/)

The first half of 2010 is in the books. This is the perfect time to do a success checkup!

If you’re not on course for reaching your 2010 goals, or you’ve lost momentum or you never even got started, you’ve got to check this out!

The Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan is one of the most comprehensive success courses ever created. The 12-month program, developed by the late personal-achievement legend, will empower you to grow and continually transform yourself while focusing on a new pillar of success each month—and you can jump right in no matter what time of the year it is!

You’ll receive regular encouragement to stay on track, take positive action and move ahead with the motivation to achieve the life of your dreams!

Click here now to view a short video from SUCCESS magazine publisher Darren Hardy talking about why he strongly endorses The Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan.

Experience the power of The Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan!

The following question was submitted to “Ask Donald Trump” by a Trump University member.

Question:

You have faced some really big challenges and some very difficult circumstances in your life. What activities, words of wisdom and other tools do you use to get yourself back up to remain positive? What advice would you offer to anyone struggling today?

Mr. Trump’s Response:

Your focus is very important–so be sure to focus on the opportunities, because they are always there. For example, if 90% of companies aren’t hiring, then focus on the 10% that are. I learned to focus less on the problem and more on the solution, which works. Do not allow negativity to cloud your goals or ambitions. Great things have been accomplished in hard and even tumultuous times.

When I faced difficult circumstances, I didn’t underestimate the problems but I refused to give in to them. Realize that you are very strong and very capable. Inspirational quotes help too. Here’s one from Emerson to think about when you might be doubting yourself: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” I knew I was resilient and focused on the great things I would do once I got through the hard times. I would also ask myself, “Is this a blip or is it a catastrophe?” Earthquakes, wars, tsunamis–those are catastrophes. Put things into perspective and know that within you is the power to persevere and win.

Here is a direct link to the Trump Blog where I got this post… http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blog/post/2009/08/focus-on-the-opportunities.cfm

I just read this article from one of my favorite success coaches, Jack Canfield and was amazed at how spot on this is with my life right now.  If you have been working hard to accomplish something but it just doesn’t seem like you are making any progress or success is just taking to long then you must read this article!

When Success is Slow, What Can You Do?
by Jack Canfield

Pop Quiz: Can success be sped up? Is there an antidote to slow outcomes despite arduous planning and actions taken? What’s the secret for seeing huge results right now?!

I get versions of these questions frequently from people who feel frustrated at sluggish progress in their success journey – despite all the know-how and principles they rigorously employ.

Let’s get one thing straight…

When we admire someone’s success, or even our own, we often focus on the end result and not so much on the effort (and time) that it took to get there. This can cultivate unrealistic expectations, especially the idea that overnight success can happen through careful strategy and an execution of sound advice.

The truth be told, success typically follows a series of little events and achievements that can seem to take an eternity, that include a few disappointments along the way, and that challenge everything about you to the core – your stamina, courage, integrity, and even your willingness to keep going.

If you focus on what’s not working, guess what: You’re likely coming from a place of aggravation as your mind wraps around all that is wrong.

You may even have negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough,” “It will never work,” or “Something must be wrong with me.”

What this mentally does is engender more of these counter-productive feelings. And given what we know about the Law of Attraction, you attract what you are feeling. So negative experiences, people, and results will beget more negative experience, people, and results. There’s not much success in that.

The key, then, is to focus on what IS working. To do so, I recommend two simple practices: journaling and meditation.

Maintaining a journal (I call it an Evidence Log, Results Journal, or Gratitude Journal) is a great way to steer your attention to the positive and continually renew your vision for yourself.

Start each day with reflections on what you are grateful for in your life (list them out!) and end each day with notes on what went right (again, write them down), however small they may seem.

Spend time each day in quiet contemplation, prayer or meditation.

Meditation can be powerful tool for arriving at solutions to problems and shifting your attitude so you can attract success sooner rather than later. The magic of meditation is its ability to essentially shut down the outer layer of your judgmental, highly-critical brain and allow your unconscious mind to take over. This is where you enter a deeper state of inner peace and joy, tapping into a higher level of creativity that will help usher in the results you want. (Don’t know how to meditate? Lots of books and materials are available to guide you this practice. It’s easier than you think. )

Let’s say you’re doing ALL these things, but you still aren’t happy with your results…

I’ll ask you then, are you taking real ACTION?

You may be taking the actions you are used to taking. But if you keep doing what you’ve already done, then you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. It’s a matter of practicing some new behaviors. Shake things up a bit and see if you can take new actions or modify existing ones.

Remember the Rule of 5.

Every day do five specific things that take you toward your goal. Change up the five actions regularly and be open to feedback so you know when you’re off course.

Lastly, I want to remind you about patience.

It’s natural to underestimate how long a certain goal can take, especially a profound one. When I set a goal to become a millionaire the year was 1983. How long did it take? Eleven years. It took time for Chicken Soup for the Soul to hit the bestseller lists. You could say our tenure on the New York Times list was more than a decade in the making. That’s a lot of patience for someone who initially wanted overnight success.

So, yes, patience is a virtue. But keep at it, and in no time, you’ll be only one week, or one day away from your ultimate success.

Remember… be grateful, reflect on what IS working and continue to take ACTION!

Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com