PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BLOG

WHAT IS THE GREATEST LONG-TERM WEALTH BUILDER?
(Mini Habit #5)
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

Did you know that honesty with yourself and others is a great long-term wealth builder?

Be fair and honest with everybody and yourself. This should go without saying, of course. I want to make it absolutely clear, that honesty is now and will always be the best policy. True wealth is build by true and honest intention and by honest effort. Treat everyone fairly in your organization and reward those who go beyond what is expected of them. And even when there are those who try to take advantage of your fairness, be fair and open with them anyway.

Honesty is a great long-term wealth builder. Do not do business with anyone you suspect of being dishonest or untrustworthy—no matter how high the projected profit might be. Your integrity is worth more than the price someone could pay you for it. And in time, it is your integrity and honesty that will make you the money you need to fulfill your dreams.

The True Way to Riches
It has often been said that the true way to riches is honesty. It is hard to image for many, but most of the riches people in this world, the business men and woman who have started and succeeded in business are some of the most honest people around.

Sure there are dishonest business people, but they do not last long and their dishonestly is always unveiled and their lives are usually set to misery. But the real person with integrity will shine.

Your mini habit goal is to be honest with yourself first. Second, be honest with everybody you deal with. Be upfront. Hold nothing back (but be tactful, with delicate situations or topics). Show the world now and forever, that you are a person of integrity. You might be surprised of what your honesty will bring. The benefits are enormous.

Oatmeal, IT'S
"WHAT'S FOR DINNER?"
(HEALTHY MINI-HABIT #4)
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

Many people make oatmeal a meal for breakfast, but you can also make it a midday snack or an evening meal. Oatmeal is low in calories and low in fat and high in soluble fiber. You can cook it in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.

I enjoy alternating from oatmeal to oat bran. You can also take raw oatmeal, blend it into a powder and make cream of oatmeal. Just add water and cook for a few minutes.

To make either one of these, oatmeal, oat bran, or cream of oatmeal, into a more fulfilling, interesting meal, you could add all kinds of good things to your bowl. Here is a list of items I incorporate into my oatmeal or oat bran:

Walnuts
Almonds
Pecans
Raisons
Dates
Sunflower seeds (roasted, unsalted)
Banana
Strawberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Seeds
Flax meal

I usually use one or two items (fruits or nuts) at a time. For instance, I will use walnuts and a banana or raisons and sunflower seeds. On other times I’ll use blueberries or strawberries alone. You can cook all the nuts, fruits and other foods with your oatmeal or mix them in, uncooked, into your bowl after your oatmeal is cooked. It's a very easy meal to prepare and it is good for you.

Note: The seeds and nuts are unsalted and many are roasted. You can purchase many from Trader Joe’s if you have one near you. I get my shelled walnuts, pecans, raisons and berries from Sam’s Club. You can also visit 99 Cent Only stores for Strawberries, Blueberries and Blackberries.

Another great oatmeal meal is a mixture of milk or almond milk with oats. This recipe is a version of Swiss muesli. Put oats in a bowl. Pour in milk. Chop up a few dates or sliced apple. Microwave for three minutes. You now have a tasty, fulfilling meal. Another recipe that is said to be Swiss muesli is to put raw oats in a bowl with milk, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. The milk will be absorbed into the oats. Slice an apple and add it to your bowl. This is a refreshing, filling (not blotting) breakfast for warm summer mornings.

Oatmeal is inexpensive compared of other foods. I have found that Wal-mart (online only) has the best prices for their Great Value brand (42 oz canister $2.48 as of this writing with free delivery of $35 order.)

If you are interested in organic oatmeal try Sun Organic Farms (www.sunorganicfarm.com). They have rolled oats, 3lbs. for $4.95 and economical 25lb. bags. They also have steel cut (Irish) oats and organic oat bran.

Stay healthy with this oatmeal mini habit. The nice thing about oatmeal and oat bran is that you can add all sorts of good, nutritious foods to your meal.

lose weight, feel great and save money: EAT HALF AT EACH MEAL: GOOD MINI-HABIT
(MINI-HABIT #3)
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

Many restaurants these days serve large portions. If you cut your meal in half and save the other half for another meal, you have created two good mini habits. The first habit is eating less at each meal and the second is saving money because now you have another meal. You have cut calories and saved money.

When I eat out I will rarely try to eat my whole meal at one sitting—unless the portion is very small. Eat until you are satisfied and visualize eating the other half at home. This is great to do with sandwiches since most sandwiches are already cut in half.

This mini habit has lots of benefits:

(1) you eat less—you do not get blotted

(2) you consume less calories—this is better for your waistline and your health

(3) you have an extra meal—you save money

(4) since you have an extra meal, you do not have to prepare or purchase another one—it is convenient to have food already made, sitting in your refrigerator.

(5) By eating only have, you minimize the chance of feeling sleepy or tired if you eat too much of the wrong foods.

(6) Your body processes the food a lot faster into energy when you eat have as much

(7) No more sluggishness after lunch

(8) Your afternoons could become more productive with increased energy

When preparing food at home you can do the same thing—and this introduces us to the next mini/micro habit of minimizing meal size. Your body does not need a lot of food to do its job; it only need the right food.

Exercise Habit: Start today by cutting your meals in half. Start with breakfast. When you eat out for lunch and dinner separate the portions on your plate and ask your server for a takeout container. Eat only to satisfy your hunger. Do not eat to get full. And remember food is to nourish your body. If you can lose that tire around your mid-section by cutting your meals in half, doesn't it make sense to start this mini-habit today? The benefits are great and you will feel wonderful from the results.

Increase Energy and Brain Function with mid-day napping (Mini-Habit #2)
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

In Mini-Habit #1, I introduced going to sleep 15 minutes earlier. This week, in good Mini-Habit #2, we extend the subject of sleep with mid-day napping. Studies have shown that even a short 15 to 30 minute mid-day nap produces great results for energizing your mind and body for a productive second half of the day. Typically, after lunch many people feel tire or sluggish. This is usually the cause of eating the wrong types of food for lunch. If you were to let yourself take a short nap freely, without hesitation or without feeling guilty, would you take it? If you have an hour for lunch could you fit in a 15 or 20 minute snooze?

The next question, where to nap? Try your car. You can drive to a local park or quiet area. A covered parking structure is also a good choice. You can keep a set of eye coverings and ear plugs, or cotton balls in your car to help make falling asleep easier. Recline in your seat, cover your eyes, and fill your ears and your set, ready to snooze.

You can also use soft, slow paced music with ear plugs. Meditation music may be helpful or classical arrangements with violins, cellos, guitar, harps and piano. Just make sure the music is slow and soft and puts you in a relaxed and sleepy mood, drowning out the world outside.

If you work at home, you probably work at all hours of the day. Since you do not have a daily commute, you have the luxury of napping when you feel the need. One thing you have to be concerned about is spending half your day in bed or on sofa. Here you can take one hour naps.

Since I work at home, I find that any time I need to take a break, I lie down and read something. In a few minutes I usually find myself falling asleep with the book in my hand. I will sleep for about 30-45 minutes. I wake up refreshed and usually have a spurt of energy to get back to work on the computer with a good idea to add to my work.

If you only have a 30 minute lunch break and it is hard to snooze at work, try a nap during your daily breaks. During the day you might have two 15 minute breaks. Take both of your breaks for snoozing. It may not seem like much time, but if you are able to drop off quickly, then you’ll have a chance to get a little rest. You can tell your manager what you want to do. You can also combine your break time into one 30 minute nap. Your manager will usually be up for the idea because she will understand that a well rested employee is more productive.

What about napping on the weekends or holidays? I bet you probably already do this to some extent. I would assume that almost everybody takes a nap on Thanksgiving or on Christmas day. The idea of napping is to restore energy to be more productive later. Therefore, napping should not bear a negative connotation exclusive to the very young or very old. Now, if you need to nap because you stay up late and do things you shouldn’t, then you are napping for the wrong reason.

Exercise Habit: Begin this habit of good napping today. Fit in a 45-60 minute nap each day. If you find this to be impossible, use 30 minutes. It has been studied that even a short nap in the day will increase brain function and give you much needed energy for a more productive second half of the day. Happy dreams.

ask ben fanklin: Success is Built on Consistent Effort
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

Everyone loves consistency. Being on time every day at the office, closing a sale every day, always on time for meetings and appointments, and always being home at a certain time for family and friends—this shows consistency. These are a few ways you are measured by others—it’s your consistent behavior. When you lead yourself first, you set an example—and the example here is consistency.

Did you know that eight productive hours of work each day make a successful day, five productive days make a successful week, four productive weeks make a successful month and twelve productive months make a successful year? Now the logic behind this is simple, yet too many intelligent people do not understand the basic process that intelligent work carried out daily, and I mean every day, will result in a successful week, month, year, career and life.

You have to think about your daily activity and the time you spend working. Do not fool yourself by substituting activity for real, productive work that creates results. Are you working all the time when you should be working? It is a simple question to answer and most of us would answer: “Not always.” Every day we fall into traps--traps with phone calls that are not work related, unexpected guests popping into the office, chit chat with coworkers, vendors or others who do little for out business improvement and career advancement.

Remember the little words of cause and effect—you reap what you sow. There is no simpler truth than this. Do you reap much at the office by chit-chatting about the big game last Sunday? No. When at work, do your work—and do more than your work. If you want to advance in any organization, you’ll have to do more than what is simply expected of you. Do more, and in time, you will receive more. And that’s guaranteed. That is the natural law of cause and effect, it is real and evident in every part of your life. Successful men and women the world over do not just wake up successful. They work at it hour after hour, day in and day out, year after year, decade after decade. They understand the more they put in the more they’ll get out. This is a natural law of order--the laws of cause and effect.

The great statesman, inventor and businessman Benjamin Franklin said it best in His Autobiography:

       “I spent no time in taverns, games, or frolicks of any kind; and my industry in my business continu’d as indefatigable as it was necessary. I was indebted for my printing-house; I had a young family coming on to be educated, and I had to contend with for business two printers, who were established in the place before me. My circumstances, however, grew daily easier. My original habits of frugality continuing, and my father having, among his instructions to me when a boy, frequently repeated a proverb of Solomon:

“Seest thou a man diligent in his calling, he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men.”

       I from thence considered industry as a means of obtaining wealth and distinction, which encouraged me, tho’ I did not think that I should ever literally stand before kings, which, however, has since happened; stood before five, and even had the honor of sitting down with one, the King of Denmark, to dinner.”

       Ben Franklin knew what he had to do. Do you?

I was asked one evening at an event, “How did you write fifteen books in three years? My response was, “It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard either. All I had to do was be consistent; five pages a day, six days a week—sometimes seven days a week.” There is no mystery behind productively that isn’t the result of diligence and consistency. All great achievement is born by these two words, by these two actions.

Many years ago had the privilege to hear Dr. John C. Maxwell give a sermon at Christ Fellowship Church, in West Palm Beach, a number of times. In a couple to the sermons he spoke briefly about how he had written so many books. “One word at a time. Every day I read, I write, I file, I think; every day I read, I write, I file, I think; every day I read, I write, I file, I think--every day, every day, everyday.” Doing the right things every day, doing the things you know you should do every day, might appear mundane or boring, but when you have a passion, a deeply rooted desire of joy in doing the tough things, knowing exactly what the end result is going to be, then the good work you do day after day after day is not boring or mundane. It is interesting. It is learning. It is constant learning--discovering new ideas and developing inner joy through consistent daily effort. Find what gives you joy. Find your greatest passion and pursue that passion every day. Try lots of things. Just keep at it--keep moving.

*     *     *

To lead yourself first, you’ll have to focus on your work. Working diligently and consistently is the true way to lead yourself in the direction you want to go—the right direction

Benjamin Franklin on Knowing Oneself
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

How many of us in school, whether in grammar school, junior high school, high school, or college have read and followed the examples set in Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. His simple truth of self-examination is outlined in this book.

Moreover, in His Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin explains through self-examination his desire to design a plan “of arriving at moral perfection.” He then went on and named a list of thirteen virtues that were most important to him in achieving this goal. His desire was to live day to day by these virtues.

“The names of virtues, with their precepts were:

1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; waste nothing.

6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unicorn actions.

7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no unseemliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

11. Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at trifles, or a accidents common or unavoidable.

12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Franklin then measured his daily activity and marked in his “little book” each time he violated one of his virtues.
Coming to truths with yourself and being completely honest with yourself is a difficult task at first if you’ve never done it. You must open your mind and see yourself as an independent being and a subject of critical study. You are your guinea pig.

This is an exercise you can do yourself and all it takes is a little thinking on your part. Sometimes thinking is difficult when you haven’t done it for a long time. But the more you think, the easier the act of thinking becomes. Open your mind and use all the creative juices you possess.
Now begin by practicing this exercise; make a list of your virtues and mark down each time you violate your virtues. For further study, you can even write down why you violated a virtue. For a week or longer assess yourself as you would any objective task of study.

A Basket Full of Problems and How to Solve Them Quickly and With Care
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

Life is filled with problems. If you are in business, then you have your basket full of problems, big and small. Problems seem to jump out quickly causing us to stop for a moment, solve it, then proceed to solve the next one. Problems come at us every day. Many daily problems are so small that we don't even consider them problems anymore. We have been conditioned to accept them and then move on. We've gotten use to them because they come around so often. With experience we solve problems better, faster and more effectively.

Some positive thinkers like to call problems challenges.  The word challenges sounds nicer, but when you get right down to the root to the challenge, it doesn't seem to fit. But when you get down to the root of the problem--now you're talking. A challenge sounds like a competition. A problem sounds like a problem.

We solve problems by reacting. If we feel that the problem is minor, then solving it can wait--then we wait. If we feel the problem is serious, we act immediately. Or, do we? Sometimes we set problems aside, we ignore them, hoping perhaps that it will disappear. Sometimes they do, most times you will have to address the problem.

So, how do you address a problem calmly, logically and solve it? There is one easy way. Get out a sheet of paper and on the very top write "I solved this problem (write out your problem) by.... Now write down a list of the solutions to your problem. If you can list ten ways to solve your problem, great. If you could write five ways, that's good too. Your answer to solving your problem will be on the paper right in front of you. Be calm, relaxed and think. This may only take a few minutes. Be assured that the solution to your problem will be revealed. Now take action.

Solving problems takes practice. The more problems you solve, the better you get at it. Some problems cannot be solved with you alone. Start by asking for Gods help. He might deliver the answer sooner than you think.

When Should I Update My Goals?
© 2017 M. Mitch Freeland

As you progress through life, your goals will change. The things you want and the value they carry may become more or less important to you. Your goals will change when your business, family, religious, and health ideas change.

Your goals will change when:

You achieve them.
Your needs change.
What you desire changes.
Your personal ideas about your life in general change.

Updating your goals is a task you should do regularly as your situation changes. Nothing about your goals is completely concrete. Change them when you feel your wants are not the same as before. Change them when you no longer believe it is in your best interest to pursue them.

Not all of your goals will be reached in the time frame you have set; so, remember this poem, You Mustn’t Quit:

You Mustn’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! If you must—but never quit.

Life is queer, with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out;
Stick to your task, though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with one more blow.

Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt-
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things seem worst that YOU MUSTN’T QUIT.
—Anonymous

Eliminating Competition Now and Forever
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

"The biggest things are often the easiest to do
because there is so little competition."
--William Van Horne

Believe it or not, there is no competition; there is only you. There are people who invest in their business, both capital and time; they invest in service, fairness and quality of product. And they invest in honesty and integrity. And there are those who do not. True competition is all about competing with yourself--doing what you know is the right thing to do.

There are those people who will always say: “There is a lot of competition in this business,” that is completely false. You are competing with yourself. Great investors and businessmen and woman and entrepreneurs make money and grow companies in all market environments. Whether the economic climate is down, sideways, booming, busted, peaking, bottoming, stagnating, contracting or depressed, you make your market, whether times are confusing or not. Let others be confused with the market, you don’t have to be. You have a plan and a go-getters attitude.

The Perspective

Have you ever had a burning desire of wanting something bad enough—a new car, a home for your family, a pair of shoes or a grand vacation to relax and enjoy yourself. Did you finally get what you wanted? If you did, did you realize there was no competition to your wants or acquiring what you want. This is true with everything you do—everything in your life and in business. The word “competition” is no more than the barrier or wall you place in front of yourself as an excuse to fail.

The “go-getter perspective” is an idea that you can do anything or acquire anything which you desire bad enough. You can accomplish small things or great things; it all depends on what you truly want from yourself and from life; what you truly desire is what makes the difference.

Reflect back: Was there really any competition in your life or business? What could you have done to be better? In retrospect, we could have always done better. Think about how you can be better now and write down ways in which you can fight your own personal competition.

There really is no competition; understand this now and believe in yourself and your abilities to attain all that you want. It is not enough just to want, you must truly believe you will receive all that you desire.

Competitive Strategy
Have you designed your own competitive strategy? You can do this simply by writing down who or what you believe is hindering your sales or business and write down ways in which to solve the problem. If your product needs changing—change it. If you need to increase service, customer satisfaction or better, customer loyalty, design a loyalty program.

Becoming competitive means becoming more proactive in the way you do your business. It means thinking and acting in ways to build relationships. Long-term relationships breakdown competition; and competition is nothing when your customers are loyal and you service them on the right side—the side of integrity. Give more than what is expected and you’ll receive more than you expect over the long run. This is a simple truth that you may have heard before. You have to keep at it in a proactive way. So, get to work.

FORMING GOOD HABITS IN 40 DAYS (mini-HabiT #1)
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

Our lives are based on habits—good and bad. The decisions we make daily have consequences and it is the habits we choose that create these consequences whether they are beneficial to us or hurt us. We have choices and what we eventually do with our choices will produce an outcome—an outcome we are pleased with or one that may need a little more attention. Unpleasant outcomes can often be changed. The choices we have made have put us in the place we are in now.

With proper habits we could set in motion results that could be good for us and with mini and micro habits we can make the journey easier and more fruitful with a higher degree of achievement and with a well deserved feeling of accomplishment. And this accomplishment could make for a peak experience that catches momentum.

So what is a habit and why should I be interested in them? A habit is simply a behavior that repeats itself regularly. In many cases it can be an unconscious behavior or routine. Habits are developed over a period of time.

Everyone has habits of some form and you should be interested in habits for the very fact that habits form and structure your everyday life. Some people have formed habits with eating, drinking and exercising: An unhealthy habit can be stopping in at your corner doughnut shop and getting a doughnut and coffee every morning. An expensive habit can be stopping in at your local Starbucks or Panera Bread and getting a fancy coffee, bagel or breakfast sandwich. Done regularly, this stop can be a habit which can be hard to break because it fills many comforts. And over the course of a year, this habit can be an expensive one and an unhealthy one high in fat and calories your body does not need.

Why 40 habits in 40 days?
There is something very good and very special about the number 40. In the bible God used 40 days to transform people: It rained for 40 days and 40 nights after Noah and his family were saved from the flood—and the world was transformed; Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai—and He was transformed; Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness—He was tested; God gave Elijah one meal that gave him strength for 40 days—and He was transformed. Yes, the number 40 is significant because it is evident that God uses 40 days to transform people—and this is why we will use 40 days as well.

How are Habits Formed?
Habits are formed by the regular repetition of a behavior; this behavior becomes automatic—the behavior or process becomes habitual. The process can be slow, ranging from two weeks of repetition to almost a year.

Studies have shown that there are three parts to a habit: (1) the cue; (2) the behavior; and (3) the reward.

The cue is what causes the habitual behavior. The behavior is the habit itself. And the reward is the feeling you receive. This is usually a good or positive feeling. An interesting thing about the reward is that the habit is usually triggered with a set goal in mind. Therefore, the habit is formed to procure a specific goal. (For learning about goal setting get a copy of Mini Goals: Huge Results).

Here is an example: every morning when you wake up you might go to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee. You do this every day, every morning—and usually around the same time. Even when you have gotten plenty of rest you still make the coffee. When you are tired, coffee peps you up—there is a recognized benefit. When you are already well rested you probably do not need the coffee to pep you up but you make it just the same and take a cup as you do every morning. Your morning of making coffee has formed into a habit. This can also be said for those of you who visit Starbucks or get your coffee from a local place on the way to work. Habits have now been formed and when you alter the habit by missing a day you might feel physically or mentally different, or you may feel that something is wrong with your day. Breaking habits are hard when you have conditioned yourself over a long period of time.

Habits and Goals
Many habits are formed by having a goal in mind. The goal is what motivates a habit to form by the response repetition of a process to form a habit.
Behavior prediction is also derived from goals. Behavior prediction is to acknowledge a habit will form, but in order to form that habit, a goal must have been initially present. The influence of goals on habits is what makes a habit different from other automatic processes in the mind. (Neal, D., Wood, W., Labrecque, J., & Lally, P. (2011). How do habits guide behavior? perceived and actual triggers of habits in daily life . Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, (48), 492-498)

Why Mini and Micro Habits?
Since habits have to be formed, isn’t it easier to form good, healthy, small habits as opposed to trying to form big habits? Habits can change your life and make you into the super productive person God made you to be. Can you form good mini and micro habits quicker with less stress and with a higher degree of accuracy? Yes, you can and in this book I am going to outline a few habits that can be easy to form and that will have the potential to make you into a super productive force of unabashed accomplishments.

All of us want to be more productive in life, whether at home, the office, in sports, or out in the field. If you are actively in sporting competitions then you will need to be producing to keep your position, and this really goes for everybody who wants more and wants to progress in life at a pace that is noticeable.

I have found that forming good mini and micro habits have the power to transform a life filled with fear and uncertainly into a life filled with confidence and one with success obedience—that is, a life built to produce positive results with an optimistic, hope-filled future.

Good habit building can only lead to success—there is no way around it—it is definite. And the successful have always gotten to the top by forming and following habits that move them in the direction they want to go.

Now that you have a little background on habits, let’s begin.
In the weeks to come (every Thursday), I am going to give you ideas of good, healthy habits. If you are committed, you can follow along and initiate the habits into your life. We are going to call these habits mini and/or micro habits because they will be small changes or activities that will not require much time or much effort. By making small changes you will magnify the results.

Mini Habit Are Simple to Start But Fear Could Hold You Back
Some habits may appear simplistic or even obvious. Don’t let this prevent you are trying it for your 40 day journey. All habits that are good habits will build you into the person you want to be. What do you tell a child when it is ready to stand and walk? You say “baby steps.” That’s right, you need to start off by taking baby steps. A progression of baby steps over many weeks will get you from where you are to where you want to be. It is a matter of getting started and then finishing. Many people may start with honest intentions of finishing, but few actually finish. This is not because we do not want to finish, it is because of three things that get in our way: 1) Procrastination; 2) Disorganization: and 3) Not truly wanting to change.

We can contribute “fear” to each of the three responses. Fear is the emotion that binds all three together. We procrastinate because of an inner fear. This fear could associated with the fear of accomplishment or of growing into a mature adult. When we are disorganized in our lives are build walls around us. Have you ever seen the television show “Hoarders”? These people have buried themselves in their house because of fear. Usually, a traumatic event or a perceived traumatic event has occurred in their life. Unable to adequately deal with the situation, the person has build physical barriers to help protect them from the fear of the situation happening again. Whatever fears you have that are preventing you form forming good habits will have to be dealt with sooner or later. Let's work on the sooner now.

Our first good habit this week is:

Good Mini Habit #1: Go to Sleep 15 Minutes Earlier
Sleep is important. Most of us know this. However, most of us are not getting enough of it. Do you go to bed when you are tired or do you go to bed at a certain, predetermined time? Perhaps both; you go to bed tired at a predetermined time because your biological clock is set somewhat permanently after years of conditioning of going to sleep and waking up at around the same time day after day.

Getting enough sleep can make you more alert and productive, there are also health benefits. This section could also be categorized under health/fitness—so getting adequate sleep is minimum twofold for beneficial purposes.

If you sleep for eight hours and wake up tired, you are not getting enough quality sleep. There could be many reasons for this: bad diet, worry and stress, overweight, money issues, or other medical reasons. You probably know the problem causer or have a good idea of the culprit. But whatever the case, you need more sleep. By hitting the hay fifteen minutes earlier you might get the extra sleep needed to be refreshed, rejuvenated and invigorated. Try it and see what happens. Changing habits is experimental. You change to better yourself, but with many new changes you never know the extent of the change until you try it. If after a while you find that it isn’t working for you, you try to alter the process or try something different altogether. Perhaps you will need an extra 30 minutes of sleep?

If you have been conditioned to sleep at a certain time, it may be hard to fall asleep at first. Try reading in bed a novel that you have already read.

By changing your sleeping habits you might benefit greatly with a well deserved night’s sleep. I have found that just an extra few minutes of solid sleep can mean a world of difference from waking up fresh and rested to groggy and tired as though I’ve been running in my sleep. Yes, the proper amount of sleep makes a world of difference.

Exercise Habit: Do this habit for a week and see the change in you. If you find that it is working well and you are feeling better rested, try 20-30 minutes. Your body and the clarity of your mind will let you know the results.

There is one misconception that the achievement of ones goals brings a state of happiness to the goal achiever. This is typically not the case. Some goals take a longtime to achieve and as we work toward the achievement of a particular goal the actual journey to achieving the goal is generally a happier experience than the actual achievement of the goal. This might appear strange, but it is true and if you have ever achieved a meaningful goal you’ll understand what I am referring to.

Earl Nightingale, in his masterpiece course Lead the Field, explains this phenomenon. It is the purpose driven desire to achieve a particular goal that brings happiness because it gives one a purpose. Once a goal is achieved it is simply a product of your thoughts and activities that generated the goal to be achieved over a period of time—time devoted to constructive, earnest, diligent, effort.

A rather simple explanation, Nightingale illustrates that we are happier in the car going to dinner than coming back from dinner. We are happier going on a trip than coming back from a trip. It is the expectation of accomplishment, rather than the accomplishment itself that offers us the greatest excitement, joy and escalation. We are happier in pursuit of a worthy goal than its achievement. This, I can say is indeed true. Since many goals take a long time and a lot of persistent work to accomplish, once you’ve finally accomplished what you have set out to accomplished, you have already accomplished it. The goal, in your own mind has already been accomplished. You saw the end. You knew it would be a matter of time, but you knew the result, you saw it as the light at the end of the tunnel. You already saw it in your minds eye being achieved—being completed, accomplished.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

       “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

Expanding on Emerson, I would say happiness is achieved by a life with purpose—a life filled with meaningful goals. Happiness is driven with a purpose in mind—a goal, vision, or thought of the future and how you see yourself in it—how you are making, planning now, and following through with those plans to make your life, your world, and the world of others around you, better.

Happiness is not based on the end result or achievement of a worthy goal, but the journey towards accomplishing a worthy goal, a meaningful goal.

Brian Tracy, in his book Maximum Achievement says it this way: “Perhaps 80 percent of all the problems and unhappiness that you experience occur because you are unclear about where you’re going and what you want to accomplish.” He further sites an “old saying”: “Feeling listless? Make a list!” This is sound and simple advice. Make a list of your goals, the things you want to achieve in the next month, year or next five years. The list you make will put you on the right path, right direction and give you focus. And it is this list that will remove your “listless” state. You will become motivated because now you have a plan—something to reach for, something to accomplish. You have that target to shoot at.

But what is a worthy goal? Any goal that benefits humankind, animal kind and you is a worthy goal. Any goal that makes life and the act of living better, easier, and happier for others is a worthy goal. A purpose to do good, to strive for goodness, and to follow a vision of goodness is a worthy goal. Any goal that pleases God is a worthy goal.

If you are planning to get anywhere in life, you’ll have to take risks. Remember the old saying “Nothing ventured, nothing gained?” Well…it’s true. You’ve got to have bet something, gambled, put something on the line, something of importance and something worth a great deal to you. If you are to succeed, you’ve got to believe enough in your venture to put it out on the line, winner take all attitude.

It takes courage to venture out, to put your money, reputation and time into your new venture. It takes courage when everybody else is telling you, "you are wasting your time." But is it necessary? Yes, every time it is necessary. You must believe wholeheartedly in your project, business or new venture. You should ask this question and ask it frequently. Am I willing to risk my money and time?

Over the years I have been asked to participate (invest my money) in projects others have proposed to me. Some of the people were businessmen, entrepreneurs you could say, some young, some middle aged and some old. The first thing I ask someone who wants me to put up my money into a project is: “How much of your own money have you invested? When the investor says, “I have a lot of time in it.” I say, “Goodbye.” If the investor gives me a miniscule number, a low number that wouldn’t hurt if he lost his investment, I usually say, “Goodbye.” When an investor comes to me and has a significant amount invested, which is his own money—this tells me he believes in what he is doing and he is willing to put it on the line to make a success of it. This deduction is more commonsense than anything else. It shows confidence, faith in his abilities to deliver the goods, a good attitude that he is willing to take personal financial risk to better himself. By investing your own capital and a great deal of time, working day and night, you show the world you are serious—you show the world that you believe in what you are doing.

The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal.
The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.
--Benjamin Mays

Goals are the cornerstone to achievement. Every person of significance has clearly defined goals. Goals are necessary to keep the peak performer on track.

Yes, goals are necessary. Goals are important and should be a daily part of your life. Goals will help you to define the important things in your life. Both personal and business goals keep you on track; they guide a path for you to follow. Your goals will motivate you and inspire you every time you read them. And, when you achieve a specific goal, you become energized and elevated with enthusiasm. Goals make you more creative and they instill in you a positive enforcement that nothing is impossible, and that all obstacles can be overcome.

In the book Mini Goals Huge Results you will be introduced to:

Why goals are important and their purpose.
How to create goals.
How to set realistic goals.
How to achieve your goals.
How to achieve detailed professional goals.
The benefits of a clearly defined goal.
How to set your Super Achiever Mini goals.

Creating Goals

Every high achiever, every millionaire, every million dollar producer has taken the time to set and visualize goals, both personally and professionally.

What do goals do for you? Why are goals important and what is their purpose?

Goals create clarity.
Goals organize your thoughts toward your major aim and give you a target.
Goals lead you in the right direction and keep you on track.
Goals give you a plan to follow.
Goals help you focus on what’s important.
Goals motivate and inspire you.

Once you have identified what you want and your purpose, the next step is to list your goals.

Goals must be:

Written: It becomes set, like concrete.
Specific: Your goals must be written in complete detail.
Achievable: Your goals must be realistic.
Measurable: You must know with certainty when you have reached your goal.
Time-specific: You must set a deadline for your goals.

Start today by writing your goals out. What do you want to achieve today, tomorrow, next year?