“How do you know if you can’t do it, unless you try?” This is what Pablo, our adventure guide on a recent trip to Mexico said to me, as he looked me straight in the eyes. I was poised to repel down 40 feet in the air into a Mayan sink hole that was 39 feet deep. I was all harnessed up in my gear and my husband and two kids were already swimming in the water with the rest of our group of 8. All that was left was Susan from Texas, me, and our guide, Pablo. Susan decided she couldn’t do it and left me facing Pablo. He repeated, “How do you know you can’t do it, unless you try?”

This is actually an excellent question! My palms were sweating and waves of anxiety went through me. I decided to feel my fear and do it anyway! Pablo calmly encouraged me, “You can do it, chica!” I got into place and scaled the stone wall down into the cave, all the while white-knuckling it, as I lowered my rope slowly but surely. My confidence began to override my fear as I came closer and closer to achieving my goal. I did it!

Soon I was swimming in this ancient and sacred water hole. There is something quite marvelous, exhilarating and empowering, to dare yourself to do what scares your socks off! I’m so glad that I felt my fear and did it anyway! What scares you? Where could you take a big step forward in your business and/or your personal life? Perhaps you could:

1)  Quit talking about a good idea and actually take massive action on that idea!

2)  Take on more opportunities to be more visible in the marketplace

3)  Go ahead and enroll in a high-end coaching program for 1st class mentoring from an expert

4)  Perhaps it’s your time to do more public speaking?

 My coaching challenge to you this week is to choose something BIG that you’d like to do, be or have in your business or in your personal life and make a commitment to do it. Be smart and line up support. Without wise Pablo on my side, I probably wouldn’t have dared to go beyond my comfort zone. So go for it! I encourage you to take on a challenging goal. Carpe Diem!

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As the famous Paul Harvey used to say, “Here’s the rest of the story.” My last posting was all about how smart it is to invest in yourself and your business by learning and getting inspired and motivated by attending live workshops.
 
In conversations with successful business owners I have made this observation:

Successful people are always interested in learning! They are naturally curious people who ask a lot of questions, will be quick to jot down the name of that book you just recommended them (if they haven’t already read it?), etc. and in general, approach life and business with enthusiasm and interest. In other words, they are not “Know it Alls” even though they are clearly doing well in their personal and business lives! 

When I mention the amount of money I have invested in myself and my business, some of the folks I tell are shocked! They wouldn’t dream of paying that much money or taking the time off to travel out of their city to attend a seminar. They tell me they couldn’t possibly do this because: It’s too much trouble, too much effort, too much money, not enough time, etc. In fact, they are just too busy with their business to “play around” at some conference. 

I understand the logic, but it’s a bit short-sighted. What I know to be true is that those who make learning a priority in their lives, will reap the benefits!

So tell me, what seminar are you planning to attend and what do you expect to learn?  If you recently attended an amazing workshop, please share!

Diana

PS. Jim Rohn, who is known as the “Father of Personal Development” and who has worked with Anthony Robbins (another personal development expert), says that at a minimum you should invest as much money in yourself as you do your car!

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One of the best things that you can do for yourself BAR NONE, is to make the commitment to yourself to “grow” yourself as a human being. By this, I mean, be the best person you can become and develop yourself as a business owner by becoming a master of your line of work, while upgrading your marketing and business skills. This “priceless decision” will give you big returns by investing in yourself and your business. I promise you that!

One of my own personal values is a commitment to continuous life-long learning.  I believe that a commitment to personal and professional development is a crucial factor to designing and executing a business that is profitable and on “purpose”.

What key players in any industry know is that there’s always more to learn. It makes good common sense to learn from the “Masters” in your field or related industries. By being the best in your field, being privy to the most current information and being a “progressive” business person, you and your business will stand out from the crowd!

Are you taking the initiative to learn and grow?  Is it in your business budget?  If not, it needs to be!  Attending live events should definitely be a part of your marketing strategy. I advance my “business skill set” with a minimum investment of well over $15,000 a year by attending a wide variety of business, marketing and advanced success strategy seminars, as well as my participation in a Mastermind group.

This practice of investing in my personal and professional development has paid me HUGE dividends. By attending live events, I have the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and make valuable connections that help me to achieve my business goals. I also advance my knowledge base and skill set, which allows me to stand out in a field where there is a lot of “competition”.

I’m curious to hear from you. How has investing in yourself, both personally and professionally helped you to be more successful?

Diana

PS. Speaking of great opportunities, I’d LOVE for you to attend the Vision for Success workshop, on April 25th, 2008.  Click here to learn all about it and to register for this live event.

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Have you heard about this unprecedented Internet event?  Oprah’s Weekly Webinar featuring Eckert Tolle and his most recent book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose is being attended “virtually” by over 1.8 million people from countries all around the world, including India, Afghanistan, and Africa. 

What is significant about this live Webinar event is the “in real time” demonstration of Internet technology globally uniting so many individuals of diverse backgrounds to come together. It’s really powerful!

The material that Eckert teaches is enlightening, expansive, uplifting, and inspirational. It has been an impact source of personal development and evolution for myself (and 1.8 million people).  I highly recommend you pick up your own copy of the book and join the class.

If you haven’t heard about this yet, go to Oprah.com to enroll.  You can attend this ongoing class for no charge (watch it live, every Monday @ 9PM (EST) or download the MP3 recording each week. I’d love to hear your feedback. Are you one of the 1.8 + million who are a part of this class?

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A brand New Year is upon us. It’s exciting to have a new year to plan for. The new year lies before us like a fresh, empty canvas. It is up to us what we “paint” on this canvas of the year 2008. A lot of people create New Year’s Resolutions after a few sips of champagne and declare to friends and family what they’d like to accomplish in the year ahead.

The ritual of creating resolutions can actually be a very, very powerful thing to do. But, unfortunately, New Years Resolutions get a bad rap every year. For as many resolutions that are made, most of them are broken or forgotten within a few weeks after the year begins. The reason? We create resolutions we can’t achieve and actually booby trap our success. Yikes!

May I share a secret that could turn this around for you? I want you to achieve your goals and dreams. The secret to making a resolution so it “sticks” is precisely related to HOW you say it and how you FEEL about it!

Here’s a few common New Year’s Resolutions:

• “My business is booming”
• “I’m in perfect health”
• “I’m at my ideal weight”
• “I earn over 100,000.00″

What happens after you declare these desirable goals? Your mind immediately notices what you just said and you find yourself saying to yourself… This isn’t true. I’m not in perfect health, or I’m not at my ideal weight, or I’m not rich. Guess what? We can’t achieve what we don’t believe!

You can stop “booby” trapping yourself by making this simple tweak to your resolutions. Declare what you can believe! Here’s a sampling of how these resolutions are more effective because they are stated in such a way that you can put your arms around them and believe them! Your “inner critic” won’t jump in and tell you, that’s not true.

• 2008 is going to be a very, successful year for me!
• I’m in the process of and will achieve my ideal weight in 2008!
• I am grateful that I take all the actions I need to so that I double my income in 2008!
• I’ve decided that this is the year that I will be in peak health and fitness!

So now, you’ve got some traction. You’ve got a set of New Year’s Resolutions that have “legs”. So, make your resolutions but be sure to state them in a way that you wholeheartedly BELIEVE them and guess what?

You’ll be celebrating your wins in 2008!

Copyright 2007 Diana Long

Success Coach and Speaker, Diana Long, is the President of the Life Design Institute. Diana can help you transform your dreams into reality and give you the shortcuts to success with her variety of life-changing programs and products. Learn more about Diana and receive your FREE Report, ”3 Huge Mistakes People Like You Make to Sabotage Their Success & How You Can Completely Avoid Them!” and FREE subscription to “Life & Work Design Secrets” e-newsletter, please visit www.DianaLong.com.

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