Wednesday, January 4, 2017

"Do No Harm" By Dr. Yoshitaka Ohno

Do No Harm
By Dr. Yoshitaka Ohno

Giving people hope in order to enjoy a healthier, longer, and fuller life has been Dr. Yoshitaka Ohno’s mission since he left his medical practice in Japan over 20 years ago. He knew he could not practice the kind of medicine that was causing so much suffering to his patients. Japan’s medical system had become much like other western systems. It involves mostly drugs and surgery. It supplies misery rather than hope.

Dr. Ohno’s journey away from conventional medicine led him to what his mother called "humanitarian medicine." It allowed him to bring together six generations of medicine from his father’s family, and six generations of spiritual leadership from his mother’s family. He felt very fortunate to be the product of what has led him to mind/body/spirit medicine. This new medicine is based on having a close relationship with nature. Unless we pay attention to our natural environment and respect it, there will be no life left for our future generations. We are already killing nature. Soon it will be too late.


This book is the story of one doctor’s struggle to live his vision of humanitarian medicine. It is a journey through the pain of modern medicine, and the arrival at a new way of offering hope to people who are suffering. 

DO NO HARM

by Yoshitaka Ohno, M.D., Ph.D.

The Story of a Doctor's Struggle to Live His Vision of Humanitarian Medicine

She looked at me calmly. She was almost too calm. She had surrendered herself totally to her decision. There was no fear in her voice or in her eyes. She was resolved in her conviction to die. She got up from her bed and closed the door quietly, wanting privacy so no one else in the hospital would hear.

"Please help me die, Dr. Ohno. Please show mercy and help me die. I have asked you to stop giving me the anticancer drug. I can't take it anymore! I know you don't want to watch me suffer. Every time you inject me with this drug, I know you are also suffering as you watch me suffer. The other doctors have always ignored me while I struggled with the agony. But your eyes have always shown me such concern. You are the only doctor who has shown me such compassion."

When I decided that my patients were being given too much of a dangerous drug, I decreased the dosage. But other doctors on the staff would change my order and raise the dosage without notifying me, because they knew that would make them look good to the Chief of Medicine.

She continued to talk to me as if I were her son. She stopped and took another sip of her tea. During the silence, I started thinking about what she was saying. It was true that I was struggling and I was showing the fatigue from my internal battle. I was not sleeping well. As tired as I was, I would lie in bed, unable to sleep. Then I would get up and sit at my desk. I would think about her and how I could help her. I often thought to myself, "Why did I become a doctor?"

When I first became a doctor, I seemed to be able to find ways to help my patients. But now, instead of being a healer, I felt more like a murderer. I knew my struggle would continue if I didn't find a better way to help my patients like her, who continued to suffer the pain and indignity of a death that I was causing.

As I watched this woman collapse in sobs while she continued to plead, a part of me was dying. But I knew that I now had to present her with the cruel facts. I spoke to her with tears in my eyes, as honestly and kindly as I could.

"Your cancer has already metastasized through your body, even to your brain. I am sorry but I am recommending that you go to hospice because there is nothing more we can do. The damage is irreversible. The more chemotherapy you are given, the sooner you will die. This drug not only kills cancer cells, but also destroys the healthy cells. You need to stop because the side effects are worse and are causing too much suffering."

Just then the Chief of Medicine of the hospital entered the room. He must have heard me because he said, "Dr. Ohno, I will take care of this patient. I can help her. Please have this patient signed over to my care."

The Chief of Medicine looked firmly at the suffering patient and began. "Dr. Ohno is right, but I think I can save you with a new drug I developed. It is still in the experimental stage, but it kills only cancer cells and has no side effects"

His words were totally unexpected by her. Her expression went from despair to hope. She began to cry with tears of joy. The Chief of Medicine stood there with the same arrogant and smug look I had come to know since arriving at the hospital. However, despite the deep emotion of hope that filled the room, I was both sad and angry. I knew that his anticancer drug had very strong side effects and would cause this poor woman even more suffering.

This was the first of what was to prove to be many rude awakenings for me. After years of medical school and training, of struggling to find humane ways to treat people, I was now facing the grim reality of having to allow my superior to treat patients as though they were experimental animals. It was obvious that he had no empathy for terminally ill people. I wanted desperately to step in and disagree, but I knew it would be futile and would spell the end of my medical career.

As I watched my patients suffer in agony from taking anticancer drugs, I was experiencing my own torment as well. I was becoming consumed with the memory of my mother's words to me after my father's death. The memory of that tragic period of my life started to overwhelm me. My father was a very famous surgeon who died when he was 42 years old. He worked long and hard to keep his hospital operating at its peak. His dedication cost him his life. He died of an aneurism during surgery.

This book is about the times in my life when I had to encounter many struggles in order to gain greater insight and appreciation of the final outcome. While I report the horrors I experienced during my years of practicing medicine in Japan, I also show how I was able to find a way to answer the cries of despair of my patients. This was not easy. It required that I make a decision that would put me at risk and force me to leave my practice. But during this process, I learned to become a better doctor, more concerned about the welfare of my patients rather than the rewards of fame and fortune, which, unfortunately, have become the driving force of modern medicine.

I did not have to take this road. It would have been easier to follow the program and do what my superiors told me to do. I come from a very prominent family in Japan and have always had choices and opportunities. But the values given to me by my family led to my decisions, which, though distressing at first, brought me to what I believe is my destiny.

I believe that there has always been an invisible force within me, guiding my direction and encouraging me to discover my true calling in life. As I have proceeded on my journey, there is one principal factor that has continually surfaced. This factor is contribution, the act of giving to others, directly from one's heart. This affects not only the recipient, but something of equal importance: the essence of our being.

I also believe, more than anything else, that my mission to help humanity is derived directly from giving people the awareness of how vitally important contribution is to the soul of the benefactor. My vision has become a vehicle that can assist people to gain an understanding that, as they direct their energies to give of themselves with a pure and open heart, they will ultimately fill an emptiness that resides deep within their spiritual center.

Through years of study and experimentation in seeking better ways of delivering good health care, I found the significant interrelationship between health and nature, and its impact on the quality of life. The best example is our precious water supply. After you read this book, you will become more knowledgeable about water; all water is not the same. You will learn that the quality, content, and even the structure of the water in your body can make the difference between sickness and health.

In order to test this theory, I tested many water sources. While I was conducting research in Japan, I discovered a naturally magnetized water that was being used by a prominent physician with his patients suffering from serious diseases, many which I had also been treating. As I observed and studied these patients, it became apparent that this water was unique and had therapeutic benefits.


We think of the human body as ... 

Yoshitaka Ohno, M.D., Ph.D., Founder and President

Ohno Institute on Water and Health

Dr. Ohno is a native of Osaka, Japan, where he received his education and training in medicine and neuropathology. Early in his medical career, he began searching for ways to stop the suffering of his patients with diseases that could not be treated successfully by standard medicine, and thus had to be managed with multiple drugs. He began to realize that the side effects of these drugs were creating serious chronic problems, as well as increasing the body’s deterioration. After extensive study he became convinced that the condition of the body’s water was directly related to the state of the body’s health.

After leaving his medical practice, he continued his studies but found that the Japanese medical community was not placing much emphasis on chronic diseases found commonly among the aging population. He decided to enter the United States and accept a position at AMC Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where he could continue his research in geriatric pathology, including MRI studies on the relationship of water and cellular degeneration. His work led him to investigate the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease. As a result of his work, he received the Community Leadership Award from the Colorado Alzheimer’s Association in 1987 and the Humanitarian Award from the Alzheimer’s Disease International in 1993.

After returning to Japan in 1990, he discovered a naturally magnetized water that was being used by a prominent physician to treat serious, life-threatening diseases. As these patients recovered, Dr. Ohno became convinced that this water was unique. He pursued numerous clinical studies with this water, both in Japan and the United States. In 1998, Dr. Ohno founded the Ohno Institute on Water and Health, a non-profit research and education center for studying the effect of naturally magnetized water on health and aging. He has been requested as a speaker at several health conferences and has published several articles in professional journals on his findings.


Dr. Ohno resides with his wife and three children in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.



I noticed that there were very few books about 
water and health. Even in Japan there were many books in bookstores about water.  Perhaps it is bacause water in Japan is such a precious commodity that there is much more awareness of water and the environment.  In this nation there seems to be a little interest about the importance of clean water in our bodies.  It is no wonder that people continue to get sick easily and don't know why.  Even when people are aware of the dangers of water contamination, they do not know about the effect water has on the human body.

We think of the human body consisting of muscles, bones and nerves.  But everything in our body is made up of almost all water.  Our body is made up of 70% water, for average size adult. Too much of our health education is about drugs and the effects certain drugs have on the body. This is based on Solid Paradigm. How often do we hear about water and its effects on our health?  All the foods we eat consist of water.  Good water produces good crops that keep us healthy.  When we eat vegetables that have been grown in a contaminated field from chemicals and polluted soil , we are nor providing our body with nourishment, but poison. When we eat poultry, beef, pork or fish that has been contaminated from a poor water source, are we not poisoned as well?  

The awareness in this nation is slowly growing.  Since so little is taught about the importance of water in the human body, it is easy for people to contaminate their bodies without being aware of what they are doing.  Since we are the unity of a mind-body-spirit relationship, it makes sense that not only is our body contaminated by poor water , but our mind and our spirit as well.  When we do not take proper care of our body hydration, the body cannot remain in a balanced state. water helps balance our body, and when we are balanced physically, our emotions are much more stable.  We become less irritable and angry, and our spiritual energy is much more alive. 

  "Danger Past, God Forgotten"

  It is amazing to me that is usually takes a life crisis for people to wake up and understand how vital water is . Most people ignore how important our water resources are until they experience  a problem in their life.  The earth is also made up of 70% water. But 94% of our water supply is salt water.  Only 6% of our earth's water is fresh water. Of this 4% is in the form of glaciers.  This leaves approximately 2% fresh water on earth for human consumption.  If we continue to ignore water as the very precious commodity it is, we are in danger of destroying not just our bodies ; we are in danger of also destroying our home planet, Earth. 

Many people have called me the "Water Doctor" , saying that all i know is water. All I want to talk about is water.  I try to be understanding, but without knowledge about the importance of water, my words sound too simplistic  to have any merit. 

I had gotten used to people laughing at me and telling me that my ideas are not reality.  I am used to the feeling of alienation and exclusion, so attempts to discourage me have not affected my determination. I continue to focus on the benefits of the water I discovered, and I tell people about this water anytime I have the opportunity to do so.  Usually, when I meet someone witha health problem, or they tell me about someone in their family witha health problem, they say they have tried every kind of conventional medical treatment available. But after seeing no improvements, they have lost hope.  I am always eager to help them.  I will explain the special qualities of the water , and how the water I discovered here can help them.  When I get this opportunity , people will isten to me. 

One day a woman visited the health center because she was looking for a good facility to care for her sister who had Alzheimer's disease.  She toured the facility but was terribly disappointed when she realized she would not be able to afford the cost of care.  I was very impressed with her devotion to her sister, and I took a few minutes to talk to her about her sister's state of health.

" I understand that your sister is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. I supposed that even though you have tried to do a good job in taking care of her at home, her symptoms are getting worse.  I can see that you look very tired from the strain of taking care of her.  I would like to tell you something that can help your sister.  It is naturally magnetized water.  I have had good results giving this water to Alzheimer's patients,: I explained to her.

"Doctor Ohno, I have tried everything I can think of !  I cannot afford to bring my sister to health center and I cannot take care of her by myself anymore.  Let me try your water and see if at least this helps her.  Any improvement to her health will be appreciated !"

I delivered a case of the water to her home the next day. i instructed her to have her sister drink one bottle of water each day and to record any differences she saw in her sister's behaviour. 

After one month, she reported that her sister's cognitive functioning had improved.  Her eyes no longer looked dull, but sharp and alert. Her appetite had improved dramatically and she was able to walk much better.  After two months of drinking the water daily, she again began to distinguish people and recognize who they were! 

"Who am I ?" she asked when she and her sister visited me.

"You are my sister !" she answered.

"Doctor Ohno ! I cannot tell you what it means to me to have my sister recognize me again !  I have to tell you, i was really skeptical before trying your water . I am so glad you approached me and told me about your water !  I need you to explain what is happening to my sister and why this water is able to help her. " 

" I am so happy that your sister is improving so nicely ! Thank you very much for asking this question ! It has not been often since I came here that someone has wanted me to explain to them about this water . I believe that this water can help people with any disease, not just Alzheimer's ! 

I answered her as simply as I could. 

"There are 100 billion cells in the human brain, and the brain is made up of 90% water. One of the reasons Alzheimer's disease occurs is because of contamination of the water which composes the brain.  When the brain cells become contaminated, they lose electrons.  the brain cells then cease to function and they cannot send the information correctly.  This happens because the contaminated cells become disorganized and unstable.  SO the signals that normally create impulses that travel from one cell to another cell are no longer  in a stable environment and are unable to transfer information correctly.  My theory is that if we can improve the water in the brain, we can improve the responses of the brain.

The reason why naturally magnetized water helps to improve cognitive functioning, like memory, is because the water is highly organized. Once this water enters the cells of the brain, the cells become organized and the impulses once again connect.  Keep in mind this is a very simplistic explanation  , but it helps to give you an idea as to why the water is helping your sister." 

She was very surprised to hear my explanation. " I would never have believed your theory until I saw the results ! I am a chemist and I can see where the quality of the water would definitely impact the functioning. I just have never really thought it would affect it to that extent! "

"If you were not a chemist then perhaps you would not have understood my idea, I responded."

"Doctor Ohno, if you have so much trouble getting studies done at Health Center here and they do not appreciate  what this wonderful water could do for their patients, why don't you open up your own clinic ? Just think of the people you could help ! "

I was so appreciative of her suggestion. I had met very few people who were as kind and understanding as she was.  The compassion she had given to her sister , and the concern she was extending to me was heartfelt. 

Thinking about 2017

You Know better there is actually no better time to regroup, refocus and to start thinking about 2017.

What are your goals for the coming year? For many people, these goals include financial motivations. If you want to finally get wealthy in 2017, here are five ways you can actually do it.

1. Work for your dreams, not someone else’s.
If you really want to start making money and finally be wealthy in 2017 then you need to do something that you are truly passionate about. Without this passion, you are never going to reach your full earning potential. Focus on doing what you love and what you are passionate about, not just something that happens to be in a highly paid field.

Really ask yourself and dig deep to think about what you can see yourself becoming obsessed with. Obsession is the key to true success and it can lead you to real wealth. As real, lasting wealth is not just about money.

Related: 25 Best Habits to Have in Life

2. Dream big but start small.

Everyone wants big success fast but it’s better to go slowly. Optimize your process first before you try to go big. Take my top student, Tim as an example. He started stock trading with just $1,500, grew it to $1 million in three years and then over $3.3 million in four years. He bets bigger now that he is more confident, thanks to his early education. He is one of my favorite examples of starting small and working your way up slowly to something much more.

Related: How to Scale From a Small Business to a Billion-Dollar Empire

3. Give to others instead of yourself. 

Most people find this tough to do, but trust me, you can only have so many Lamborghinis and Ferraris and Porsches. Trust me, as someone who has had all three, they are not as fulfilling as giving back to charities, such as my Timothy Sykes Foundation is infinitely more rewarding and fulfilling. Remember that true wealth is not just about having the most money, but the most inner peace too. You will truly feel successful, established and wealthy if you start giving to others.

Related: The 15 Most Profitable Small-Business Industries

4. Get healthy.

 I know it sounds a little corny, but it is actually true: health is wealth. You can have all of the money in the world, but if you are sick, or dead, you can’t enjoy it. As much as you work and as hard as you work, don’t forget to focus on your health, your body and your mental well-being.

Related: 10 Misused Words That Make Smart People Look Stupid

5. Learn online.

We live in such an exciting time, where the world centers around the internet. It is a time where you have unprecedented access to a wealth of information. Thanks to the internet you don’t need fancy degrees, connections or inherited wealth. Everything you need to learn is online with video lessons and free guides, as well as vast educational resources like the Entrepreneur Library.  People always ask me where I learned about stock trading. It was all online. 

I wish I had a mentor to help speed up my education, but I didn’t. This is why it is my goal to be the mentor to others that I never had. In summation, if you want wealth and success in the year 2017, you need to study and prepare and start with your online education, it is only the beginning of your success, but it will set a strong foundation for your future.

These five steps can go a long way in helping any individual be wealthier in the year 2017. The new year is right NOW , so don’t waste this opportunity to have a more secure financial future for yourself.

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Sleep And Grow Rich

In fact, I sleep a lot. I average 9.25 hours of sleep a night, which is way more than most people, apparently! A Gallup poll reports that the average U.S. adult gets 6.8 hours of sleep a night.

In contrast, I’m clocking in at more than nine hours every night: I go to bed around 10 p.m. and sleep until 7:15 a.m.

I love sleep. Here's proof of it -- a photo of me in my custom pajamas.

When I wake up, I’m totally refreshed, completely stoked and ready for a day of serious hustle. Here are some tips for how you can follow my example. Image Credit: Neil Patel



I used to treat sleep as an annoyance.
I used to think of sleep as the world’s biggest inconvenience -- a complete waste of time! Sleep kept me from building my businesses and getting stuff done. So I did what a lot of hard-working and hustling entrepreneurs did. I stopped sleeping.

Related: Sleep: Why Successful Entrepreneurs Snooze More and Work Less

Every day, I got up as early as possible -- 5:30 or 6 a.m. I would go, go, go all day long until I crumpled into an exhausted heap around 1 or 2 a.m. It was insane.

That was when I was 23 and 24. I had more energy back then, I guess. Now, I can hardly stay up past 11 p.m. without feeling like death the next day.

Here’s what I changed.
Surviving on four hours of sleep a night is not for the faint of heart. I was pounding it daily, and I was succeeding. Sort of. But the sleeplessness just wasn’t worth it. And, because my sleep was suffering, everything else started suffering as well.

I started forgetting important things. My decision-making ability took a serious nosedive. The people I worked with would ask me simple questions, and I couldn’t answer. Mentally, I was losing it.

If I did get a solid night of sleep, however, everything would change. The next day, I’d be completely energized. I would remember details, make smart decisions and function way better.

The lesson was simple:  Neil needs more sleep.

One day, I made a choice: I would get more sleep. I chose to get as much sleep as it took in order for me to function at 100 percent.

Why I now sleep a lot.
When I started getting more sleep, my life really improved. If I slept five or six hours, it took me ten hours to get a project done. But when I slept eight or nine hours, I could get the same project done in five hours.

Email takes up an inordinate amount of my workday. I reply to around 400 emails each day. When I was averaging four to five hours of sleep, it took me four hours to go through my email. Once I began sleeping for 9.25 hours, I got through my emails in 2.5 hours!

But I wasn't done with my sleep overhaul: One problem that occurred when I was low on sleep was that tasks other than email took longer, too. For example, I spend a good portion of my day coming up with ideas to fine-tune my business and helping people within my team execute them. I was spending 2.75 hours a day doing this. Once I began getting more sleep, I was able to do this in roughly one hour a day.

Sure, as you get older and gain more experience as an entrepreneur, you learn how to be more efficient. But I found that with more sleep, I had more energy and was able to work faster. I still can.

Productivity is one thing, but the simple fact of personal care is another reason why I sleep a lot. I've learned that if you work with the right people, they will work hard in your business just as you would. This frees up your time and energy, allowing you to get the rest you need.

The more sleep I get, the more I’m able to achieve in less time. This is opposite from what most people think. We tend to think that if we sleep less, we’ll be able to accomplish more things. We’re awake, right? So we can do stuff, right?

But what are you actually doing in your half-dazed, sleep-deprived, brain-numb condition? You’re working slowly, inefficiently and miserably.

How do I do it?

How do I sleep nine-plus hours a night?

I know that not all of us can get the sleep we need. I realize that people who have inconvenient job shifts or  small children might not be able to choose when or how they sleep. Others struggle with medical and psychiatric sleep conditions. Others, however, can get more sleep than they’re getting right now.

What helped me was, first, changing my mind about sleep. Instead of treating sleep like a problem that needed to be solved, I handled it like a business opportunity to be optimized.

I explain marketing to people in this way:  If you spend $1 on marketing, and get back $2, then it makes perfect sense to put in more money. Spend $1,000,000 on marketing, and get back $2,000,000!

Sleep isn’t like Google Adwords, of course, but there are some similarities. If I put in 4.5 hours, I get in return frustration, laziness, time-wasting, forgetfulness and mismanagement. I also feel like crap. If I put in 9.25 hours, however, I get ten times the amount of productivity, power, smart decision-making and energy.

The solution, then, a no-brainer. Get more sleep.

The second thing that helped me was learning to sleep anywhere. I travel a lot, so I had to learn to sleep on airplanes. When I was just starting out as an entrepreneur, I couldn’t afford to buy business class tickets. I would sit in economy and try to sleep. It took a little bit of getting used to, but eventually, I was able to sleep in economy. When I upgraded to business class flights, I got even better sleep.

Now, I can sleep anywhere. I’ve fallen asleep in a crowded and noisy nightclub. In Lithuania, I had an eight-hour speaking engagement. I would catch 15-minute naps in between my sessions.

Practically, there are certain things I’ve discovered that will help me to sleep better each night. Some sleep professionals tell you to create a “sleep sanctuary” in your bedroom. I can’t do that, because I don’t own or rent a home. (I live out of hotels.)

Here’s what I do instead:

I reply to any emails that are gnawing at my mind. I want to be able to go to bed relaxed.

If it’s a bit warm, I turn up the AC.

I drink a small glass of water.

I wear pajamas. (They’re comfy.)

I use one pillow.

I use a blanket.

I purposefully think about relaxing my muscles.

I fall asleep really quickly.

I don’t set an alarm, because I know that my body will awaken when I have the right amount of sleep.

Conclusion

Do I have a lot of work to do? Yes, always. Running three businesses requires a ridiculous amount of responsibility.

But that’s why I hire smart people. I’m not the only one on the planet who can make financial or management decisions. Other people are just as qualified and capable. I am, however, the only one on the planet who can get the sleep I need. Other people can’t sleep for me.

Success isn’t just about eking out slightly higher-profit margins or boosting productivity. It’s also about living a fulfilled life -- enjoying your relationships and your work.

Related: How CEOs Optimize Their Sleep Schedule

For me, the best way I’ve found to enjoy it is by getting enough sleep.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

This Mom Grew Multiple $6-Figure Businesses From Home

If you’ve ever thought about working from home or starting a home-based business, you'll want to familiarize yourself with Carrie Wilkerson, also known as the Barefoot Executive. The Barefoot Executive is a website, community and bestselling book that she created to help work at-home professionals.

This Mom Grew Multiple 6-Figure Businesses From Home

The site quickly grew into an empire with tens of thousands of subscribers, leading her to become a sought-after speaker and sales trainer. While she built multiple businesses from home over the past 19 years, she was also raising four children, getting out of six figures of debt and losing more than 100 pounds. Named Internet Marketer of the Year in 2009, Wilkerson has been featured on Forbes.com and Fox Business News and has worked with clients such as Google, John C. Maxwell, Zig Ziglar and more.

Related: Here's How This Freelancer Made the Move to Business Owner

Clearly, she has a lot to teach us about success, so I visited her Texas home recently to ask how she built her powerful brand and how other entrepreneurs can build a successful empire from home.

1. Look for a need in your closest market.
Wilkerson got her entrepreneurial start at a direct sales company, but soon realized she could have a separate business offering a service to her fellow independent consultants. She began by asking those she knew if they could use an email newsletter. Eventually, she was making newsletters for 200 clients -- and that was with consultants from just one direct sales company.

I started my business like everybody does -- with just who I knew. I sent out an email, I worked with one client for free for two months to get my systems down, my processes done in exchange for her recommendation and her referrals,” Wilkerson explains. “And it literally was like ... you tell two friends, and she tells two friends, and she tells two friends. So we grew by referral very rapidly. At one point, we were growing by 10 to 12 clients a day.”

Consider your current immediate community of fellow moms, marketers, engineers, whatever -- what is a need they have? Wilkerson says you don’t start an empire, you start with who you know and “grow into it.”

2. Truly commit.
Entrepreneurs are not known for patience. Sometimes, in an effort to move fast and wear many hats, they struggle with focus -- and focus is a key component in the stories of the successful people I interview. Wilkerson’s life changed when she committed to going all-in on her new service business for three months.

“[My husband said,] ‘Just give it a good Carrie Try for two to three months before you give up.’ And I think as entrepreneurial-wired people, we sometimes want it to work right now or not at all," she says. "At the end of three months, he was exactly right. We had [approximately] 70 clients on a recurring basis already by then, and we knew we were on to something.”

Most entrepreneurial people are creative, resourceful and efficient -- a force to be reckoned with when focused. Make sure you are truly giving your idea or business your full attention to get it off the ground.

3. Consider a service.
“Service businesses are probably your fastest path to fast cash," Wilkerson says. "Everyone has some kind of skill that they can generate money with.”

Wilkerson added an interesting point here, explaining she wasn’t passionate about creating email newsletters. She was passionate about why she was doing it: getting out of debt and being home for her kids. Unlike the standard “follow your passion” advice, Wilkerson advises that you need passion for why you do what you do as an entrepreneur, but not necessarily the what.

4. Create a strong brand.
Wilkerson started the Barefoot Executive website because she knew there were other aspiring work-from-home executives and entrepreneurs who needed guidance. She also knew that working from home can feel lonely, so she tried to create a community that solopreneurs lacked. Her subscriptions grew quickly, as did her Twitter following.

Related: Party of One: Setting Up Your Single-Person Corporation

Soon, she was receiving speaking and coaching gigs organically, and publisher Thomas Nelson reached out to her about writing her first book. The key was her recognizable, relatable brand. Wilkerson says your brand must be visible, known and serve an audience.

“Really know what your message is, what is your story? Being a good speaker or great writer is not enough," she says. "You have to know what your thing is and you have to be true to your thing.”

5. If you want balance, create boundaries.
For the work-from-home executive or the home-based entrepreneur, boundaries ensure success. First, you must train yourself to stick to policies, such as when you wake up, when you have closed-door time to write or when you have phone-free time to be with family. Second, you must train your family, friends and spouse. Make sure the boundaries you create with your loved ones are truly what’s best for your family. That way, you’ll believe in them enough to stand firm and say no when needed. Lastly, train your clients, vendors and staff. Wilkerson also recommends you use software and create systems to create boundaries that keep you from doing everything yourself, which won’t allow you to scale.

“You have to create what's important for your family -- whatever that family looks like, even if it's just you -- and then you have to be firm enough in that belief, that you can tell other people, 'that doesn't fit in my schedule right now, thank you for thinking of me, I can't do that right now,'” she says.

6. Foster real relationships.
“Real relationships matter, not the numbers of followers. ... People are still blown away when I send a thank you note. What a shame, people shouldn’t be shocked by that,” Wilkerson says. 

She says showing up online and at events, making connections and finding a small, genuine like-minded community have been vital to her success.

7. Don’t compare.
If you’re building a brand online, it’s difficult not to compare it to your colleagues and competitors, especially if you’re building a personal brand as a speaker or coach. Wilkerson doesn’t watch or read other people’s content. Comparison, she explains, only serves two purposes: It will either make you feel badly about how behind you are or inflate your ego because you’re ahead. Neither serve your business.

“My number one piece of advice is to not compare yourself to everyone else," she says. "You can defeat yourself. You can literally freeze yourself in your tracks, either with comparison or envy.”

8. Add massive amounts of value.
How did Wilkerson grow her speaking career to working with clients such as Zig Ziglar and Google? The answer is simple.

“Opportunities are rooted in the value you provide, in the work you’re doing.” she explains. In a social stat world where everyone wants to be an expert, Wilkerson says, “quit trying to be an influencer and try to serve” and everything else will fall into place. 

Ways to Make Money While You Sleep

11 Ways to Make Money While You Sleep

Is your money making money while you sleep? 
Does it sound too good to be true? Since we still live in the age of the interest, it’s not that difficult to earn extra money on the side.

With that in mind, here are ways that you can actually earn money while you sleep.

1. Start a blog.
Perhaps the most popular way to earn a passive income is by launching your own blog. It only takes a couple of minutes to setup and is cheap to start - just purchase your domain name and pay for hosting.

After that, start creating amazing content that people would be interested in reading or sharing. For example, if you’re an accountant that has helped small business owners with their taxes, then that could be your blog. I personally have my invoicing blog to help customers know everything there is to know about invoicing. This draws thousands of signups a month.

Make sure the topics you write about are popular. If you still love your pet rock, I doubt there would be enough people visiting your our site to monetize it. But, you never know.

Once you’ve gained a following, you can start making money from of your blog by:

Earning commissions as an affiliate. This is where you push other people’s products or services on your site. Make sure these products or services are relevant to your blog. For example, that accounting blog could become an affiliate for accounting or invoicing software. Once you find an affiliate partner you’ll be given a unique code so that whenever a visitor clicks that link on your site you’ll earn your commission.

Sell-advertising. If you’re site has the traffic to become an affiliate, then it may also be good enough for advertisers to purchase ads on your site. You may start off small, like making under $20 per ad. But, you may eventually be able to charge triple digits. Again, you site must be quality.

Find sponsors. This is slightly different than just selling ads on your site. Sponsorships may be a one-off piece of sponsored content or permanent logo embedded in your footer.

2. Sell your own information product.
If you’re knowledgeable in a certain area, then you can start creating products, such as eBooks or videos, and selling them on your blog. It may take a lot of work to create and market your products, but once all the leg work is over, you can just set back and collect the proceeds.

Related: 7 Speedy Business Tips From NASCAR Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

3. Earn royalties.
If you’re a talented musician, actor, or author, then you could earn royalties from your work. In other words people will pay you for using your work or creative assets.

If you aren’t talented enough, but still interested in earning royalties, then check out Royalty Exchange. It’s a marketplace where you can buy and sell royalties.

4. Create a membership community.
If you’ve proven yourself to be a authority figure, then you can create a membership community where you pay a monthly fee to receive additional high-quality content and information that’s not available to non-members.

One of my favorite examples is Timothy Sykes who makes more than $100,000 per month in passive income through his membership community which discusses how people can make money in trading penny stocks. 

5. Install an autoresponder.
Another common online business model is using autoresponders to sell services, products or memberships. This is where people leave their email address on your site and then they’ll receive an automated email containing the link to download products or quality information you have to offer, as well as follow-up with a series of emails.

You’ll a need service like OptinMonster to make this possible. I also recommend you read this Quick Sprout guide to get started with autoresponders.

6. Flip websites.
If you’ve put in the time and effort in building a website and you have gained a lot of traffic, then you may be able to sell it to an interested party by listing on marketplaces like Flippa. I've bought and sold a lot of sites here and made a lot of money.

7. Sell physical products.
Just like with a blogging site, there are several ways to earn a passive income by selling physical products. Probably one of the best known ways is by selling your old junk on eBay. But even if you don’t have anything left to sell you can start drop shopping. This is where you sell products for a company on eBay or Amazon and they’ll take care of the rest - including shipping.

You can also launch your own eCommerce store by using Shopify. They literally give you everything you need to sell products online from a complete online shop to including buy buttons on your social media channels. You may like to Join Jeunesse Global eCommerce platform. Redefining Young Generation 

Related: 7 Ways to Make Extra Income Even With a Full-Time Job

8. Invest in stocks or shares.
When you invest in stocks you become a stakeholder. That entitles you to a share of their profits. Investing in stocks has been a popular way to earn a passive income for years, and thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to research and invest in stocks on your own.

Keep in mind that the stocks you invest in can change throughout the various stages of life. For example, I look for investments that can benefit my daughter, such as a CA529 plan that will go towards her college tuition.

9. Peer-to-peer lending.
Companies like LendingClub, Propser, and Harmoney have created a new industry where anyone can become a lender. They will then match you with a consumer who either prefers or has trouble securing a loan from a bank. You can earn a higher interest rates on the loans you issued since you’re dealing directly with the borrower.

10. Rent out property.
Thanks to Airbnb, you can rent out your home while on vacation or your vacation home when not in use. You can also rent out your garage, parking space, or unused office space. It’s a nice supplemental income without really doing anything except placing an ad.

Related Book: Moonlighting on the Internet, 2nd Edition by Shelby Larson

11. Hire a middleman.

This is also known as arbitrage and is basically where you have someone else do the work for you. For example, you could start a dog walking service or web design firm, but outsource the actual dog walking or coding to someone else. You’re much better doing anything except being the middleman who is in charge of marketing these services.


Skills You Can Learn Online for a Lucrative and Productive 2017
Expand your skill sets to be desirable in the job market.

I am so much in love with this era we are in -- an era where there is so much information online for self-development. A focused and determined person can learn many skills online and use them to diversify his or her income. With all the advanced, digital technology in this world, no one should give excuses of not having one or two skills to remain relevant and competitive.


In the days of yore, skill acquisition and dissemination were limited to certain geographical locations because of the low level of technological know-how. However, the advent of sophisticated technology -- which propelled the development of many apps, software and social media -- has made skills and knowledge easily disseminated and accessible.

There are countless websites readily available for you to acquire valuable skills and knowledge for free or with little fee for a productive 2017. These skills are:

1. Web design and development.
Web design and development is a highly sought-after skill. This is because we are in a digital transformation age where every business -- small, medium and large scale -- is extremely interested in showcasing their products and services to the world through their websites.

There are lots of sites that can teach you how to design and develop a website. By acquiring these skills, one is adequately positioned to scramble for millions of small, medium and large scale businesses who are contemplating launching or updating their websites.

2. Statistical data analysis.
Statistical data analysis is another vital skill that is in high demand by companies, entrepreneurs and students. The knowledge of Mini-tab,  Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and E-view, just to name a few, makes a person highly desirable. 

As a researcher, I have smiled all the way to the bank numerous times because I have some knowledge of statistical data analytical software. Most students in tertiary institutions need an expert data analyst -- companies too, especially when sophisticated software is needed for forecasting market shares, profit and other vital results that will aid managerial decision making.

You can learn these data analytical tools online, and consult an expert for clarification should you encounter some difficulties trying to grasp the calculations and interpretation of results. 

3. Fashion designing.
Humans are always in need of food, clothes and shelter. These are three basic necessities of life. Both rich and poor are in need of clothes. In our contemporary world where fashion is always a trending issue, everybody wants to look classic and beautiful. This has made fashion designers kings and queens in their profession.

There are sites that can teach you how to draw fashion or make fashion sketches, and there are lots of online videos that can teach you make dresses. The beauty of having this skill lies in the way customers flock around fashion designers within few hours of setting up an office.

Fashion designing is synonymous to a football match; there is never a dull moment from the blast of the whistle. What do I mean? Even at the apprentice stage, customers are already flocking around you.

Related: 10 Best Skills to Learn Online Today

4. Make-up.
Believe it or not, the makeup business is growing at an incredible rate. There are lots of online videos that can teach you the rudiment of make up. An interview with Ifeoma Agu, the CEO of Ivonmelda Makeova, shocked me. She is an expert in hairstyle but felt she needed a makeup skill to enhance her business growth.

However, since she couldn’t afford the training fees, she decided to download lots of YouTube videos on makeup. The rest is history. She is one of the most sought-after makeup artists in her state as a result of her quality service delivery. Remember, she learned this skill for free. You can do same.

5. Business research.
Many people want to venture into business while those who are already in business are seeking other businesses to invest in. Many companies and investors are actually seeking well-researched business ideas to invest in.

As a business researcher, you can work on your own terms. You decide whether to sell your business ideas or become a partner in the businesses. At the end of the day, you will be surprised to see that you are a co-owner of chains of businesses.

Acquiring this skill is not as difficult as you think. I am saying this because most people are indifferent when it comes to research. All you need is to be patient, focus and determined. Read online articles and journals or watch videos on business research. It's also a good idea to consult an expert.

6. Own a blog.
You can actually learn how to create and run a blog online. By systematically following the step-by-step instructions on creating a blog, you'll be acquiring the skill to create more blogs for prospective clients. You can create a blog for your web design and development business, statistical data analysis, fashion designing, makeup and business research businesses.

Related: 5 Business-Blogging Mistakes -- And How to Fix Them

Successful bloggers today started by simply creating a blog. The rest is history. You too can join the leagues of successful bloggers by meticulously following their footsteps.


There is so much to be gained by acquiring one or more skills online. Big organizations looked for people with the talents and skills discussed above in 2016. And 2017 will not be different. Learn a skill online today for a productive year.

Here Are My Keys To Success

MY KEYS TO SUCCESS, for you. Day in, Day out.

1.First, Power Pack Your Morning. get Up Early.

2. Second, Prioritize Your Health. You need to exercise, Drink Your Water, Do Stretching. 

3. Third, TAKE TIME FOR FOR GRATITUDE, MEDITATION, AND PRAYER.

4. Fourth, Work Hard. Nobody say you got a short day or an easy day. 

5. Fifth, WORK SMART AND GET ORGANISED. Have a routine, do things in batches and be focused. Have systems and processes.  

6. Lastly, FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. 

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Extraordinary Power of Visualizing Success
Extraordinary Power
of Visualizing Success

All top performers, regardless of profession, 
know the importance of picturing themselves 
succeeding in their minds before they actually 
do in reality. Something I have been able to 
translate over to the business arena from athletics 
is the power of visualization. It is extremely 
effective when harnessed and used correctly.

Every Friday night after our team dinner, my 
college teammates and I would gather in the 
hotel conference room to prep for our game on 
Saturday.

We were led through a series of visualization
techniques and practices led by a sports 
psychologist. Right away, I started to experience 
the incredible benefits of taking the time to 
picture myself succeeding before actually play-
ing in the game. I visualized every little detail, 
from walking into the locker

 The Extraordinary Power of Visualizing Success
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room, tying my cleats and having conversations
with my teammates and coaches.

Related: How to Transform Your Life in 6 
Minutes a Day

I would picture myself having the “perfect” 
game,executing the defensive game plan and 
making big plays. The more vivid I was, the better
I seemed to play. I couldn’t believe it. Before the 
game even started,I had already played the entire 
game in my mind. This made a tremendous 
difference because it greatly increased my confi-
dence and comfort level.

In turn, I have been able to harness the power of 
visualization outside of athletics. Before I take the
stage and speak to a large audience, I always 
picture myself giving the “perfect” speech. I 
begin weeks in advance by picturing the audience,
my choice of words and the reaction from the 
crowd once I am finished. Visualization can be 
applied to any area of your life, as I know it has
become very beneficial throughout mine.

Consider these three examples:

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was always 
stressing the importance of seeing himself 
victorious long before the actual fight.

As a struggling young actor, Jim Carrey used to
picture himself being the greatest actor in the

 The Extraordinary Power of Visualizing Success
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Michael Jordan always took the last shot in his 
mind before he ever took one in real life.

These top performers, among many others, have
mastered the technique of positive visualization 
and openly credit it as a success tactic.

When you think of a big goal or dream that you 
want to achieve, it’s natural to think of all of the 
obstacles that will come your way. The problem is
far too often we allow these obstacles to become 
so big in our minds
that it inhibits us from moving forward. This is
when many become satisfied with mediocrity.

Related: How to See (Clearly) What You Want to
Accomplish

Don’t let this be you. Rather than creating larger-
than life barriers in your mind and dwelling on 
everything that will hold you back, envision your
-self victorious like Ali. Picture yourself as the 
greatest at your craft like Carrey. Visualize your 
next shot as your winning shot like MJ.

What will it take?What sacrifices will you make?
How can you handle any obstacles and still have 
enough to make it to the finish line? The key is to
make your positive vision stronger than anything
that can set you back.

The Extraordinary Power of Visualizing Success
https://soongworld.jeunesseglobal.com/en-SG/lifestyle-rewards

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

7 Psychological Equations to

The truth is, if you can’t picture yourself 
achieving a goal, chances are you won’t. 

The more vivid you can get, the better it will 
work for you. 

Start thinking of your personal goals in life. 

Spend about 10 to 15 minutes picturing yourself 
achieving each one.

Get as detailed as possible. 

Picture what you will do once your goal is reached. 

How amazing does it feel? 

How will this change the course of your life? 

Remember, the little details increase the 
likelihood of the big picture.

You don’t need to spend endless hours. 

Simply get in the habit of putting together a 
positive vision into your everyday life. 

Visualize yourself succeeding, achieving every 
goal, completing every task. 

See what it does for you and how it makes you 
feel. This will likely become a pivotal part of 
your success arsenal.

The bottom line is this: If you can't picture 
yourself in your own mind being extremely 
successful, dominating your market, and 
running a phenomenal business, then chances are 
you never will.


Related: If You Envision It, It Will Come

I’ve had the privilege of interviewing dozens of today’s leading entrepreneurs, celebrities and influencers including Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Robbins, Barbara Corcoran, Seth Godin, Simon Sinek and Chalene Johnson. I've had these amazing, coveted conversations in person, usually in the guest’s home or office. The setting gives me a unique peek into their day-to-day life. To prepare, I listen, read and watch hours of content from or about the guest. Following the interview, I analyze and digest what I’ve learned into written articles and video segments.

I have spent upwards of 4,000 hours studying success in under two years, which puts me in a unique position to dissect success for the rest of us. What are the habits of successful people? What are their secrets? How did they start? How did they defy the odds?

My guests have collectively written more than 20 New York Times bestselling books and employed thousands of people. They have a total combined net worth of more than $800 million. Though they each have a unique story and perspective, the one thing they undoubtedly have in common is these people know how to structure 24 hours for maximum success.

Here are the top seven keys to success for the rest of us when it comes to structuring your day in order to produce your best work and become your best self.

1. Start your day earlier.
We’ve heard the "start early" advice a million times. The unique key is that there is power in being alone and getting focused at the start of the day. Even if you can’t wake up at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. (like many of my guests), consider committing to getting up just a few minutes earlier to calmly plan your day before the pressure to answer emails begins, the phones start to ring or the rest of your family needs your attention.

“I'd wake up early in the morning ... because in those early morning hours, I was not roles, I was just a soul. That's when I came out,” explained Glennon Doyle Melton, founder of Momastery.com and the New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior.

Related: 11 Ways to Make Money While You Sleep

2. Take charge of your day.
In those few extra minutes, decide then and there how your day will go. My interviewees all agree, you must be proactive about your time rather than reactive. If you start your day reading emails from others about their agendas and priorities, it can derail your own.

“If you jump right into your e­mail,” explained Brendon Burchard, founder of Experts Academy and New York Times bestselling author, "you automatically set the frame in your mind to react to other people's needs. And you're just reacting to the world, you're not strategically thinking, ‘What are my moves forward?’ And so when I begin the day, I'm moving myself forward before I'm replying to anything, and that's the secret.”

Ask yourself, what are your priorities for the day? What are your non-negotiables? Get detailed and laser focused on the most high-value tasks. You can also make these key decisions the night before as you wrap up the previous day. Either way, make sure you’re running your day rather than letting your day run you.

Related: 10 Bad Habits You Must Eliminate From Your Daily Routine

3. Break your day into blocks.
Obviously, Kathy Griffin has a very different day than Seth Godin, who has a very different day than Grant Cardone. One common denominator is to think of your day, and your month for that matter, in blocks. Give yourself blocks of uninterrupted time for creation, blocks for emailing and corresponding with your team, blocks for exercise, etc. Don’t forget to block out time for family or your spouse, making sure you can unplug and be present with those who matter most.

“I really focus on the things that I do the best, which is content creation. I only do meetings, generally speaking, internal meetings on Monday and I do external meetings on Friday,” shared Michael Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, now founder of Platform University and New York Times bestselling author. He explained that his team will record 13 podcast episodes, audio and video, over two days once a quarter.

“I just found for me, that if I batch, I’m way more efficient,” Hyatt said.

One more unexpected note on time blocking is to make sure you have time to think. Seth Godin will create for about two hours per day and then gives himself another portion of the day to walk around town and brainstorm. James Altucher makes time each day to come up with 10 new ideas on any topic, and he will sit and work on it until he reaches 10. If you want to be more innovative and creative, make sure you allow time for your mind to wander.

Related: 5 Steps You Can Take Now to Get Wealthy in 2017

4. Cover the basics.
Entrepreneurs are driven to work hard and move fast. To be honest, many of these moguls did not always prioritize the basics, but later they made the switch and saw impressive results. Your body is the vessel with which you’re going to do your world-changing work, so you need to take care of it. Drink your eight glasses of water, exercise each day, eat food that will fuel you and make sure you’re getting enough rest.

Related: How I Run 3 Multi-Million-Dollar Companies While Getting 9.25 Hours of Sleep a Night

5. Put in the hours.
I always ask my guests how they structured their day when they were just starting their careers. If you study their lives now, it seems impossible. How can she run an empire if she’s only creating about four hours a day? How can he run 12 companies and work out each day and meditate and much more? Yes, they now have very balanced lives with plenty of rest and family time, but they also have private chefs, housekeepers, personal trainers, assistants and even dog walkers. That wasn’t the case when they were building the empire they now run.

“How hard was I working in the early days with my business? As long as it took to make it happen, which were endless hours,” shared Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul and host on ABC’s Shark Tank. “If you're gonna do well at anything, I think you just have to put the work in.”

If you feel like you’re failing on a few other fronts because you’re growing your business 24/7, know that you are not alone. You’re also probably doing what’s required to get your dream off the ground. Guard yourself from burnout and start implementing these habits as soon as you can in order to make sure you maximize all 24 of those hours.

Related: How This Mom Grew Multiple Six Figure Businesses From Home

6. Get quiet each day.
When I sat down to interview Glenn Beck recently, he asked me what was the most common denominator I’d found with my guests. I’m not sure this is the most common, but it was definitely the most surprising. Almost every single guest makes time for gratitude every single day. Some also include meditation or prayer, but most at least take a few seconds each day to take note of what they’re thankful for.

“People charge $15,000 for a class on entrepreneurship, when really one of the most important things is something you could do for free when you wake up in the morning, which is just find four or five things to be grateful for. And not just easy things,” explained James Altucher, investor, author and host of the popular podcast, The James Altucher Show. “No one thinks, ‘Oh, how can I be good at gratitude?’ It's actually really hard. And to exercise, to make that muscle sweat, is incredibly valuable.”

There is so much going wrong in the world at any given moment, so perhaps this practice explains how these millionaires are such a powerful, positive force -- they are focusing on the good not once a week or once a year but every single day.

Related: 6 Skills You Can Learn Online for a Lucrative and Productive 2017

7. Find what works for you.
Along the way, these innovators each discovered what worked best for them and said “screw it” to everything else. Think of Jamie McGuire, for example, who writes her bestselling novels overnight, because that’s the only way she can get hours of uninterrupted writing time. Imagine what friends and family said to that idea at first!


Over time, these leaders and innovators learned to care less and less about what others think or what is considered “normal,” and they focused instead on the practices that helped them best do their work, improve themselves and change the world. That’s something the rest of us can easily do as well.

Oh, you’re busy? Weird, I thought it was just me.

No matter where you are in life at this moment, there is at least one thing that you and I have in common: We want to improve our lives and ourselves. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with us, but as human beings we’re born with a desire to continuously grow and improve. I believe it’s within all of us. Yet most people wake up each day and life pretty much stays the same.


If success and fulfillment were measured on a scale of 1 to 10, it’s safe to say that everyone would want to live every aspect of their lives at a Level 10.

Here’s the catch: To create the Level 10 life that you ultimately want, you must first dedicate time each day to becoming a Level 10 person who is capable of creating and sustaining that level of success.

But who has time for that, right? Luckily, there is a method to do it in as little as six minutes a day.

Enter the life SAVERS, a sequence that combines the six most effective personal development practices known to man. While someone could invest hours on these practices, it only takes one minute for each -- or six minutes total -- to see extraordinary results.

Just imagine if the first six minutes of every morning began like this:

Related: Press Snooze? You Lose.

Minute 1: S is for silence.
Instead of hitting the snooze button, and then rushing through your day feeling stressed and overwhelmed, invest your first minute in sitting in purposeful silence. Sit quietly, calm and peaceful and breathe deeply. Maybe you meditate. Center yourself and create an optimum state of mind that will lead you effectively through the rest of your day.

Maybe you say a prayer of gratitude and appreciate the moment. As you sit in silence, you quiet your mind, relax your body and allow your stress to melt away. You develop a deeper sense of clarity, purpose, and direction.

Minute 2: A is for Affirmations.
Pull out and read your page of affirmations -- written statements that remind you of your unlimited potential, your most important goals and the actions you must take today to achieve them. Reading over reminders of how capable you really are motivates you. Looking over which actions you must take, re-energizes you to focus on doing what’s necessary today to takeyour life to the next level.

Minute 3. V is for visualization.
Close your eyes and visualize what it will look like and feel like when you reach your goals. Seeing your ideal vision increases your belief that it’s possible and your desire to make it a reality.

Related: How to Become More of a Morning Person (Infographic)

Minute 4. E is for exercise.
Stand up and move your body for 60 seconds, long enough to increase the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. You could easily do a minute of jumping jacks, push-ups, or sit-ups. The point is that you raise your heart rate, generate energy and increase your ability to be alert and focused.

Minute 5. R is for reading.
Grab the self-help book you’re currently reading and read one page, maybe two. Learn a new idea, something you can incorporate into your day, which will improve your results at work or in your relationships. Discover something new that you can use to think better, feel better and live better.

Minute 6. S is for scribing.
Pull out your journal and take one minute to write down something you’re grateful for, something you’re proud of and the top one to three results that you’re committed to creating that day. In doing so, you create the clarity and motivation that you need to take action.

Start today.
How would you feel if that’s how you used the first six minutes of each day? How would the quality of your day -- and your life -- improve? We can all agree that investing a minimum of six minutes into becoming the person that we need to be to create the lives we truly want is not only reasonable. It’s an absolute must.


Related: 5 Morning Rituals to Keep You Productive All Day Long

At the start of each day, you have a choice: You can work on the noise that shows up, as it shows up. Or work on the signal, gaining momentum toward what you and the team has decided is the next goal.

There’s no secret to being productive. If there were, your search would have uncovered it by now.


No, in order to get things done, you have to sit down and, well, do them. The most important resource of them all -- more than funding, more than time, and certainly more than the next release of your product, app or service - is focus. 

While I was working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory a while back, one of the engineers I met with explained the notion of the “signal-to-noise ratio” to me over lunch. Immediately, I began to apply this electronics term to the field of productivity and workplace performance.  

The Oxford Dictionary describes the phrase as "a measure of how much useful information there is in a system, such as the Internet, as a proportion of the entire contents."

As you look at your own systems (your to-do lists, your email inboxes, your shared project management lists), can you quicky identify the “useful” information? Focus on the most important aspects of your work, and achieve more success each day.

Related: There Is No Magic Formula for Small-Business Success -- Only This

Use visualization to see what you are working toward as you realize each goal. Two reasons for visualizing are to recognize what you want when you see it and so you're ready for the situation or result when it shows up.

Right now, practice an effective focusing technique. Open up your journal or notebook and on the top of a blank page write, “What will get me closer to my next goal?” As you write down each item, ask yourself, “Is that signal? Or is it noise?”

Having a positive focus is different than positive thinking. Watch what happens when you direct your focus on the positive, the plus side of things. An executive of a Fortune 50 company told me that he starts each day with a five-minute focusing exercise. Before he checks email, prints his calendar or sits in on a meeting, he mentally prepares for his day. Yes, he will surely have to put out some fires and handle some crises, but that doesn’t take away from his focus on what he wants to accomplish.

This kind of visualization process (which I've been using for a decade or so) is used by politicians, athletes, public speakers and startup founders. Try it tomorrow morning. Sit quietly and set a timer for five minutes. In that time, imagine what you’d like to see throughout the day. Then as things come up throughout the day, reflect on what you wanted to happen and make real-time decisions to keep you on course.

It’s all too easy to become distracted by emergencies or things that look important (even as you’re reading this article). Try these steps: 

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1. Think of an event that you'll be attending or participating in soon.

2. Close your eyes. Picture some of the people you might see there. If possible, imagine their faces. Are they smiling, serious, talking or listening?

3. Now think about what you'll do while there. Will you sit, stand or walk around? What might you be wearing?

4. Imagine what you'll talk about while there. Consider the other people who'll be there with you. What might you discuss? What will you ask them?

5. Stop and write down one thing you'd like to do now that you have visualized the event.

When you choose to visualize, you move closer to achieving your goal. And when you arrive at the event, you’ll experience a feeling of “this looks kind of familiar; it seems like I have seen something like this before.” 

When you redirect your focus, your perspective changes. Clearly state what you want and increase the signal aspect of information to achieve the goal.


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It’s not just mumbo-jumbo: visualize your positive future and you’ll have an easier time reaching that peak performance. There’s a science to visualization that runs much deeper than reading a copy of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

How?

Studies have shown that concentrated visualization efforts work because your subconscious mind does not like the conflict that exists between your current situation and what you’re visualizing. It will try to resolve that conflict and move toward your visualized reality. Your subconscious is like the mediator, trying to arbitrate for a way to get to what you’re seeing.

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Your subconscious programs your brain to start opening your awareness to resources that are already around you to resolve the conflict. It does this through the RAS section of your brain (short for reticular activating system). The RAS section acts like a giant filter that basically chooses which stimuli you notice and which stimuli you don’t.

Have you ever learned a new word and then all the sudden you hear that word three or four times throughout the day? That’s your subconscious and RAS allowing the new word to now filter through.

This new allowance filtering means your subconscious mind actively starts to use resources to create solutions to resolve the conflict. You’re seeing opportunities all around you now because you have a focused vision about where you want to go and your subconscious wants to get you there ASAP. All of a sudden, you start remembering old contacts and overhearing ideal conversations you need. Just like that.

With the awareness and solutions starting to marinate and little accomplishments and synchronicities popping up all over the place, your subconscious starts creating new levels of motivation. The first little step of conflict resolution felt so good, it wants another one! And then another, and another, and ... you get the big picture.

Related: The Power of Business Imagination

By now you should be perking up and paying close attention. However, you’re an entrepreneur, you’re smart, you want some case studies, right?

Ever hear of Natan Sharansky? He was a U.S. computer specialist who spent almost 10 years in prison in the USSR after being accused of spying. As you can imagine, there isn’t much to do for nine years in a USSR solitary confinement cell, so he decided he had to focus on something to keep himself sane. In an interview after his release, he said he decided to start playing chess against himself in his own mind. If that’s not brilliant enough, he focused all his energy into believing he could be the best. He said, “I might as well use the opportunity to become the world champion!” Remarkably, in 1996, a free Sharansky beat world champion chess player Garry Kasparov.

Pro-athletes are also famous for visualizing success. Golfers are particularly apt to do it, which makes sense given the highly mental nature of the strategic game they play. Tiger Woods claims to have been using it since his pre-teen years. So does world champion golfer Jack Nicklaus, who has said, “I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp in-focus picture of it in my head.”

Maybe it works for prisoners and pro-golfers, but what about entrepreneurs like you and I?

Sara Blakely, the billionaire entrepreneur and founder of Spanx, is a fan of visualization. “I believe you can take mental snapshots of your future and what success looks like to you," she has said. "If you mentally see yourself in a scenario, you’ll start to make decisions in your life that get you there.”

Of course, it takes action to back up your visualization, but if you know where you want to go, it’s very likely you can trick your subconscious into getting you there.


Related: Are You Actually Setting Goals? Probably Not. Here's How in 3 Steps.