Have a great Day!

]]> http://willyoufail.com/nfl-inspiration/feed/ 0 http://willyoufail.com/ted-talks/ http://willyoufail.com/ted-talks/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:55:43 +0000 rallenthompson http://willyoufail.com/?p=29 Tony Robbins Giving a Speech at TED Talks

Another great video from TED Talks. I don’t really understand what this oranization is, but someday I plan on being a member!

Alright everyone, have a great day!

]]> http://willyoufail.com/ted-talks/feed/ 0 http://willyoufail.com/start-taking-control/ http://willyoufail.com/start-taking-control/#comments Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:47:12 +0000 rallenthompson http://willyoufail.com/?p=175

“Who’s the Boss?” 10 ways to start taking control (time management, goal setting, record tracking)

Practicing positive thinking allows people to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns:

1. Take Good Care of Yourself

It’s much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.

2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For

Stresses and challenges don’t seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.

3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions

A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member’s bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don’t waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes

Have you ever told a partner “You’re ALWAYS late!” or complained to a friend “You NEVER call me!”? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like ‘always’ and ‘never’ makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.

5. Detach From Negative Thoughts

Your thoughts can’t hold any power over you if you don’t judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don’t follow it.

6. Squash the “ANTs”

In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” – Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me,” or “The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!

7. Practice Lovin’, Touchin’ & Squeezin’ (Your Friends and Family)

You don’t have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn’t touch!

8. Increase Your Social Activity

By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!

9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person

Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.

10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination

If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It’s never productive, because it’s not rational or solution-oriented, it’s just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment – go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music.

When it comes to the corporate world, protocol is pretty much the religion. To know the things needed to do are the basics of productivity, but interaction and having a steady mind makes up the entire thing to true productivity. There are those who seem to work well even under pressure, but they’re uncommon ones and we are human and imperfect. To get these little things like stress under our skins won’t solve our problems. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage to admit that we’re turning to be workaholics than tell ourselves that we’re not doing our best.

1. “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.” It sounds good to me, I mean the practicality of all things does involve money but it doesn’t have to take an arm and a leg to get it.

1. “I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it’s the government.” ‘Enough said.

1. “There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?” This happens to be one of the classic ones. I mean the issue about life’s little problems isn’t all that bad, until ‘he’ shows up. Sure, relationships can get complicated, or does have its complications that probably any author about relationships is bound to discover it soon. We follow what our heart desires, unless you’re talking about the heart as in the heart that pump blood throughout your body.

1. “Love is the answer, but while you’re waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions.” And if you want more, just keep on asking!

1. “A fast word about oral contraception. I asked a girl to go to bed with me, she said ‘no’.” It sounds, ‘practical’, I think. And when it comes to everyday life, he really knows how to make the best out of every possible scenario, and it doesn’t involve a lawsuit if he strikes a nerve.

1. “Basically my wife was immature. I’d be at home in the bath and she’d come in and sink my boats.” I never had a boat in my bathtub before. Just staring at it while soaking in hot water makes me seasick already.

1. “I am not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” If it rains, it pours.

1. “I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” It could get worse when you’re guzzling on beer… or mouthwash, and it happened to me once!

1. “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” At least he doesn’t smite us with lightning, and I’m thankful for that. And despite of what may happen to all of us in the next ten, twenty, or even thirty years, I guess we all have to see things in a different kind of light and not just perspective. I can’t seem to imagine life without any piece of wisdom that could guide us. Whether we’re religious or not, it takes more courage to accept your fears and learn how to deal with them is all that matters when it comes to even just getting along. And to sum things up, here is the last nugget of wisdom to go by… however, whenever, and wherever we may be.

1. “The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.“

I seem to lost count on how many times I’ve read and heard of celebrity marriages failing almost left and right. Not that I care (and personally I don’t), it seems strange that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamour. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

Day 1: Know your purpose.

Are you wandering through life with little direction – hoping that you’ll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.

This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there’s always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

Day 2: Know your values.

What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for 2005 – check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn’t align with any of your top five values – you may want to reconsider it or revise it.

The number shouldn’t discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dreamed of.

Day 3: Know your needs.

Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it’s too late!

Day 4: Know your passions.

You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who has inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

Day 5: Live from the inside out.

Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us city slickers it’s hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There’s sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

Day 6: Honor your strengths.

What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three – if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

Day 7: Serve others.

When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit – your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn’t always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

As the book is coming to an end, I’d like to share with you some 10 of my favorite quotes on improving yourself. Hope you find them useful!

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z!

1. Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

1. Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

1. Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

1. Don’t give in and don’t give up. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

1. Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

1. Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

1. Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self-improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

1. Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

1. Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

1. Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

1. Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self-improvement.

1. Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?

1. Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

1. Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

1. Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

1. Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

1. Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

1. Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

1. Stop procrastinating!

1. Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self-improvement.

1. Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

1. Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

1. Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self-improvement.

1. X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

1. You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

]]> http://willyoufail.com/heart-of-self-improvemen/feed/ 0 http://willyoufail.com/personal-mastery/ http://willyoufail.com/personal-mastery/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:19:55 +0000 rallenthompson http://willyoufail.com/?p=147 There are people who fully understand how important it is to develop their skill and know their strengths and weaknesses to be able to deal with their growth and development.  Those who have known and developed personal mastery would be able to listen to themselves and maintain balance in their life.

Personal mastery would also enable people to manage their energy levels and minimize dependence with stimulants to increase their energy levels.  To attain personal mastery, there are principles that would be the guide of a person in a quest for growth and maturity.

Principles behind personal and self mastery are actually fundamental concepts that are essential when building professional, social and spiritual relationships.  The first one is how success is defined.  In personal mastery, the internal change is actually more important than what had happened to you.

Personal mastery is also based on reality.  It is important for the follower to spend time and energy in things that can be controlled, like the present and the future.  It is important to let go of reactive attitude like resentment, complaint, blame and just wishful thinking.

Another principle behind self mastery is understanding that what happens to your life is based on your own choices and not from anybody else.  We should take responsibility for what had happened in our life. Therefore, decisions about our lives should be made by our own will.  We have to know the weaknesses and strengths of our character.  This would enable us to change how we think, feel and behave.

Having a clear vision of what we want and what we should do to achieve it are also principles behind personal mastery.  After identifying our goals and how we can attain our goals, then it is about time to translate them into action.  This would be the application of our vision, values and principles that we chose to follow.

These key principles would help the followers:
• How to deal with difficult and challenging situations.
• Isolate positive behaviours and feelings and work on them.
• Accept difficult and harsh realities of life.
• Let go of negativities like resentment and blame.
• Understand the importance and freedom that comes with responsibility.
• Set goals for yourself.
• Identify your principles in life.
• Prioritize what is more important to you.
• Deepen your commitment
• Develop self-confidence and self-esteem
• Accept imperfection and build on one’s strength.
• Feel the connection between oneself to others.
• Develop an inquisitive mind
• Adapt and work with change

Overall, an individual who have attained personal mastery would be able to raise self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-responsibility.  What it great about personal mastery is that individuals would recognize that they are part of a system.  They know that they would be able to contribute and influence through their creative ideas although they would also be conscious that controlling the situation or the system is impossible.

Personal mastery is something that does not happen as an accident not overnight.  It would require discipline and reinforcements.  Those who are in the path or personal mastery would oftentimes attend trainings, seminars, coaching and counselling to make sure that what they have learned in personal mastery is not at lost again in the midst of selfishness and materialism.

Personal mastery helps everybody understand that life is full of opportunities for expanding our vision and skills, until later on we succeed.

1. Speak your truths clearly – To find your passion you must speak your truths and ready yourself to new adventures. Know what really matter to you? What truly makes you happy? Know the things you do best and makes you feel complete.

2. Be open for support – You must also keep in mind that you are not an isolated being – you need the support of family, friends and positive-minded social circle that will help you reach your goals.

3. Open up your senses – When you open up your senses, you tend experience God’s blessings and you feel more peaceful and serene. This allows you to be more patient and be reminded the cycle of nature. When you experience this you become more positive and calm.

4. Give yourself a time for pleasure – Waking up in the morning away from busy schedules and having the freedom to do the things that brings you pleasure? To find your passion you must allow yourself a time for pleasure. For many people, allowing pleasures induces guilt as it is not productive and hinders you from getting important things accomplished. But this view of pleasure is actually a matter of opinion. Gentle pleasures are good to your health and are productive. By allowing yourself time for pleasure you become more focused and passionate in your job.

5. Liberate yourself – A person who finds her passion is a truly wise person. Doing a work that reflects your personality and values promises you a lifelong happiness and contentment. It is easier and liberating when we accept who we are and we allow other people to accept us too. The human psyche is a holistic system, to numb one part of our being is to numb the rest and create constant struggle (Finding Joy, 15).

6. Feed yourself with affirmations – Affirmations are important in finding your passion in life as it makes you feel secure and optimistic about reaching your goals. A lot of people don’t get to their destinations out of fear of failure. You should allow yourself to get upset by some downturns but remind yourself to pull yourself together past and get on track again. Some people might influence you into thinking negative. It’s not so easy to shut them out of your life. But it’s easier to practice blocking the negative energies that they bring into your life. It keeps your sanity.

Finding your passion is an endless song. When you do the things that you are passionate about you allow you let your life to flourish. You let yourself connect to everything you are – in mind, in heart, and in spirit. You are a stronger that can face challenges better because you are reinforced by being able to do the things you love. You feel more alive, positive, self-respecting, and determined. You live your life with confidence and high morale. And you feel you are contributing goodness and positivism to the people in your life.

• Think your thoughts into reality: “Thoughts become things.” Mike Dooley. While this quote is often misinterpreted, this strategy is the building block to success. Proverbs 29:18, “Without vision, the people will perish.” Before we can accomplish our dreams, we must first have dreamed. Thoughts become things, thoughts are energy. If you can imagine yourself with abundance and wealth, put your positive emotion into the feeling, you can manifest it in your life. Visualization is an extremely powerful skill. Use it with your emotions and the results will run you over. Your thoughts are the cornerstone to your success. Without thinking it is possible, it isn’t. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Henry Ford




• Be persistent and hold onto your dream. “Dream like you’ll live forever, live like you’ll die tomorrow.” James Dean. Set short goals that you can accomplish today and help excel you to your overall success, and celebrate your victories. E grateful for what you currently have. When you set your dreams, set them big! Then visualize you having what you dream about everyday. Make that dream the reason you wake up in the morning, make that dream the reason you breath, and you will find a way to make that dream a reality. Don’t let anything get in your way.




• Don’t listen to the naysayers. Even the people that say they love you will hold you back, Not necessarily because they don’t want you to succeed, it is because they can’t see how big your dream is and they fear you will face failures and heartache. You may face failures and heartache, but you can’t let that stop you, you must carry on. Remember that you will be doing things differently than your current friends and family, sometimes this will make them uncomfortable. Surround yourself with people that are on the same level of thought as you are.




• Model other successful people. Read and study other successful people, surround yourself with people who are successful and those striving to be successful. Throughout history, very successful people have left clues to their methods. Find mentors and follow them. While not an easy task, it is possible, especially with modern technologies and tools such as Facebook.com, Yahoo Groups, and Twitter, finding a mentor is easier than it has ever been.




• Move out of your comfort zone. As your success grows, so will your challenges, but your wisdom to handle them will grow as well. You are larger than any of your obstacles. Look for opportunities in every situation, not problems. Every man’s successful idea was generated from another man’s challenge.

If success were easy, everyone would do it. Fulfilling your dreams is no easy task and anyone who tells you differently is lying to you and themselves. If you think that your dreams will manifest simply because you dream them, then research such icons as Martin Luther King, Jr. who gave his life for equal rights, Albert Einstein who found a thousand ways not to make a light bulb, or Donald Trump who has lost billions. These tips have been compiled from successful people who have not only succeeded, but have crossed troubled water and treaded through failures to get accomplish their dreams. With determination and vision, your dreams can become a reality also.



This article is an alteration of an article presented by http://www.Best10StepsOfOpportunity.com, rewritten by Allen Thompson

Dr. Yunus began Grameen Bank by loaning $ 27 to a poor bamboo stool maker and 41 other desperately poor villagers in Bangladesh in 1975. A whole new industry of micro credit, loaning small amounts of money to poverty stricken people, was born. As of August, 2006, Grameen has loaned over 6 billion dollars to over 6.6 million borrowers, 96 percent of them women. Interest rates on Grameen’s loans are about 16 percent, and 98 percent of them are repaid. (Typical independent money lenders in poor countries charge 50 percent.) Grameen now employs over 17,000 people.

As Grameen has grown, hundreds of other micro credit institutions have been created to serve the world’s poorest people. This year 3110 institutions have made loans to 82 million of the poorest people in the world.

This bottom up economic growth in Bangladesh has had an impact on other factors. CCN Matthews News Distribution reports “…the 20 largest micro finance institutions in Bangladesh reach 21 million clients affecting 105 million family members in a country of 140 million. According to UNICEF, the number of deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births has fallen from 239 per thousand in 1970 to just 77 per thousand in 2004 and the fertility rate in Bangladesh has fallen from 6.4 in 1970 to 3.2 in 2004.”

Grameen has proved that money can be made when lending to the poor, thus giving the world’s banks incentives to focus on the weakest links in society. This approach ensures inclusive growth so that virtually everyone may have access to finance.

The Grameen model is based on peer pressure. Money is loaned to individuals in groups. If one person defaults, the whole group is cut off from further credit. If someone is behind in their payments, the group members apply social pressure or help the person pay in order to keep the group’s credit standing high.

Grameen Bank is an example of a business that truly serves its customers through loans and other programs that help people to gain prosperity, end poverty and suffering, and increase the quality of life for the community at large. Less poverty and suffering decreases the tendencies toward violence, terrorism, wars, and disease often found rampant in poorer countries.

Dr. Yunus teaches us the power of a vision. He envisioned that he could help millions of people who had no collateral to develop and grow their visions. As a result tens of millions have started businesses, gone to school, and purchased housing that never would have been available to them without Grameen and the micro credit movement. While much of the world dismisses poor people as a problem to be solved someday, Dr. Yunus envisions real people with dreams and abilities. “I believe in the capacity and capability of human beings,” he states. “Handouts take away initiative and help maintain poverty. If you give a woman a loan worth about $75 to buy a cow, she can start selling the milk. She might make about $2.50 a week. Her installment payment on the loan would be about 50 cents. So the other $2 could be used to buy food and other necessities. As amazing as it sounds to people in the world’s rich nations, $2 a week can mean a lot in Bangladesh.”

Poverty is a problem that social programs have been unable to solve. In 1975 Bangladesh had recently fought a civil war and experienced a famine. It’s future looked bleak. Poverty was rampant. Dr. Yunus came up with a solution to poverty for millions of people that cost no tax money, required no government programs, and that inspired people to take personal responsibility. He created a banking system based on mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity.

Every individual has an imagination. Every employee has an imagination. There are ideas, solutions, and possibilities, some small, and some great. We are quick to dismiss people who seem unimportant and ideas that seem impossible or not sensible. Instead of thinking of all the reasons why something cannot happen, how about asking the question: “How can it happen?” How about asking: “What are the possibilities here?”

In summary, Dr. Yunus shows us the following:

Everyone is important and has something to offer.

Your ability to see someone as capable and successful can uplift them.

Something can be made from nothing. Thirty years ago poverty stricken people had no access to credit except through usurious money lenders. Today millions are thriving because of micro credit. Where others saw hopelessness and despair, Dr. Yunus envisioned growth.

People are motivated by meaning. Dr. Yunus has treated each “poor” person as “someone”. His actions have created meaning in the lives of millions of people.

Tendencies toward conflict and violence are reduced when people find meaning in what they do and who they are. Graneen and micro credit are a positive influence for peace.

Believing in your self and in your vision combined with courageously taking action can lead to great success. Dr. Yunus did what no one had done before. He broke through the prevailing assumptions of the financial world (that poor people are not good credit risks) and consequently created a positive impact on the lives of millions of people.

This is great leadership–doing well while doing good.