Networking is both a Mindset

and a Skillset

Dr Ivan Misner

the 'father' of

Qualities

by Brian Tracy 7 for Success

What your social

presence says about

your business by Melonie

Dodaro

Get Visibly Fit TM

without a Gym by Wendie Pett

by James Wedmore

Your Excellency The interactive Magazine that will make you thrive!

www.yourexcellencymag.com

Copyright © 2013

Success Academy www.success-academy.org

Disclaimer All content published in this magazine is the exclusive responsibility of those who sign it or companies that advertize their products or services. Our purpose is to support our readers by providing information but we can not be held liable for the results of its interpretation. We only recommend products or servicess that we have had referred by trusted sources or that we have used ourselves. For full disclosure some of the links provided can be affiliate links.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Noble

Editor Ray Noble

Contributor Info: If you have expertise in an area that could leverage the success of our readers, contact us and we will consider including your articles or videos.

support@yourexcellencymag.com

A note from the Editor

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great" Zig Ziglar

This magazine is the 'materialization' of a dream. I was CFO of a publishing group with operations in six different countries and, from 1994 to 2000 lived the adrenaline of being in charge of everything except writing, graphic design and sale of advertising of a daily newspaper, a newsmagazine and several other weekly titles. All the other board members and overseas shareholders were journalists, so when I dared to present an idea for a magazine, they were quick to tell me how important my 100% focus on my job was to the company... One year later something similar to my original idea came out and was quite a success...

It was clearly not the right time, and I really loved my job, so I have no regrets. Now I am much clearer about who I am and what I want to do with my life. I have replaced the love for managing for the passion of helping people grow their businesses and have more fulfilling lives.

I believe everyone has a special gift, and that when that special gift is amplified by knowledge and practice, by the right actions, at the right time, in the right order, magic can happen!

I have invited people who have inspired me and who I have learnt from in this new chapter of my life. My deepest gratitude to Dr. Ivan Misner, Brian Tracy, Wendie Pett, Melonie Dodaro, James Wedmore, Peter Thomson, Mark Rhodes and my life partner Ray Noble who have participated in this first issue.

This magazine is my humble contribution to YOUR greatness. I did not wait for it to be perfect, because it would never be... The objective is to support YOU in your journey to success and personal achievement and it will be shaped every step of the way in pursuit of that goal.

"There are no traffic jams on the extra mile" Zig Ziglar

Come aboard and let us know how we can best serve you!

Clara Noble

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Magazine Content

Cover Story Networking is both a Mindset

and a skillset

and a Skillset Make more and better connections

when you get your mind and skills

in gear for networking

by Dr Ivan Misner

7 Qualities for Success

By Brian Tracy

What is business growth?

By Ray Noble

It’s Unnerving When They Don’t

By Peter Thomson

Get Visibly Fit™ Without Going to a Gym

By Wendie Pett

Magazine Content

How to Create Video

By James Wedmore

Success Mindset

By Mark Rhodes

What your social presence says

By Melonie Dodaro

Get the Most out of Your Foods

By Wendie Pett

about your business

for the best results

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By Success Academy

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Networking is both a Mindset and a skillset

When you're thinking about becoming a more skilled networker, you usually think

about what you can do to network more effectively. This includes teaching others what kinds of referrals you're looking for, asking for referrals from your clients, and using incentives for those referring you. These are all components of your skill set. And while it's important to know the right things to do while networking, it's equally important to start thinking the right way to make your networking efforts as successful and dynamic as they can be. This involves altering your mindset. Let's take an up-close look at some elements you'll want to include in your mindset to ensure networking success: 1. The law of reciprocity or "givers gain" approach. The law of reciprocity sets in motion in-kind responses of individuals based on the actions of others. I like to call this the "givers gain" approach. You shouldn't approach networking thinking "I did this for you, now what are you going to do for me?" Rather, you should remember the old adage "Give and you shall receive." The law of reciprocity takes the focus off of what you stand to gain from the networking relationship, and in doing so, creates bonds based on trust and friendship. Put it to the test. You'll be amazed by the outcome. 2. Diversity in networking. Look for groups that don't target people just like you. In this way, you'll broaden the net you seek to cast for referrals. There are many great networking organizations out there. If you stay only in groups that focus on your profession, you lose the breadth you need to develop a wide-reaching network. 3. Farming mentality. For networking to yield extraordinary success, your mentality must be that of a farmer. He prepares the soil for months before ever planting the seeds. He tends the seedlings with care, feeding and watering them regularly, putting up a scarecrow to keep pesky birds away. It's a long, drawn-out process to go from seeding a field to harvesting the crops. There's no quick return. Approaching networking with a mentality that focuses on the process of cultivating referrals will create the results you desire. Too many times I see professionals who are trying to grow their networks ask all the contacts they make at a mixer to visit their referral group, or keep them in mind for referrals as they give each new contact two or three of their business cards. This is way too soon. Think about that farmer diligently tending the seeds he has sown, and spend more time strengthening your friendships with those whom you wish to have as part of your networking circle. Now that you have the basics for thinking about networking down pat, let's examine a few of the things you can do to develop a strong word-of-mouth-based business:

'Approaching networking with a mentality that focuses on the process of cultivating referrals will create the results you desire.'

Make more and better connections by getting your mind and skills in gear for networking

Dr Ivan Misner

1. Activate the VCP process® VCP stands for Visibility, Credibility and Profitability. What you need to DO in order to be visible, credible and profitable takes a certain skill set. Things like participating in the monthly mixers offered by your local chamber of commerce, writing a regular column in your local newspaper and sponsoring the Little League team are things that make you VISIBLE. As you become more and more visible in your business community, you will develop a greater credibility. People will recognize that you are not a fly-by-night operation, but rather you are here for the long haul. As your credibility becomes more confirmed in others’ minds, you will begin to receive quality referrals from those with whom you wish to develop a solid referral relationship. So take a look around you for the opportunities you have to make yourself more visible to others. Think out of the box; be creative.

2. Sharpshoot, don't shotgun. When talking about their businesses, many entrepreneurs try to get everything they do into a 30-second pitch--and potential referral sources miss most of it. They tune out after the first few items on the list. Instead, you should focus on your top two or three areas of expertise. Keep in mind that you're not marketing to your referral sources. In effect, you're training a sales force. Your networking team is there to keep an eye out for potential clients. If you communicate exactly what type of client you're looking for, better, more qualified referrals will result. This skill set is especially productive when you're meeting weekly with a strong contact network. The difference between trying to say it all and focusing on one aspect of your business each week is huge.

3. Hold one-on-ones. Conducting a one-on-one is almost like doing an interview, except that you both get to ask questions. The idea is to share something in each category you discuss with your referral source. I once had the chance to see how this literally transformed a networking relationship between two businessmen who'd been in the same networking group for quite some time but hadn't really made a deeper connection. The two begrudgingly took my recommendation to do a GAINS exchange - to talk about their goals, achievements, interests, networks and successes - and found that they had quite a few things in common. They both coached their young daughters' soccer teams, they both collected sports teams' hats, and their college degrees were in the same field. These two seemingly disinterested people became very close and developed the type of networking relationship that most only dream about.

See how networking is as much a mindset as it is a skill set? Clearly, there are many things to do that will make your networking attempts successful, but there are also a good many things to be that are equally important to this art.

'If you communicate exactly what type of client you're looking for, better, more qualified referrals will result.'

Called the "father of modern networking" by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI (www.BNI.com), the world's largest business networking organization. His book Networking Like a Pro can be viewed at www.IvanMisner.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute www.ReferralInstitue.com, an international referral training company.

'As you become more and more visible in your business community, you will develop a greater credibility.'

7 Qualities for Success

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Brian Tracy

7 Qualities for Success

Hello everyone, I’m Brian Tracy and today I want to talk to you about the 7 qualities possessed by all successful men and women. The best part about these qualities is that they are all learnable. Anyone at any time can learn these qualities, practice them and eventually exhibit them in their lives. The first success quality, my favorite, is goal orientation. This means that you are working from clear and specific goals everyday of your life. You must learn the habit of setting and writing down goals every day, every morning, every single time your life changes. Remember, a goal that is not in writing is merely a wish or fantasy and has no power or energy. The second success quality that top people have is result orientation. This is the commitment to continuous learning. This means that you are continually learning new skills and techniques to become the very best version of yourself and get the best results possible in any situation. Result orientation also means creating better time management skills to increase your effectiveness and productivity. The more effective you become, the better effective results you’ll receive and the better you’ll feel about yourself. The third quality for success is action orientation. This is the ability to overcome procrastination and take action immediately. One of the biggest reasons why many people do not achieve or master success in life is the failure to take action. You must be able to take the first step. All successful people are intensely result oriented and action oriented. And when you take action, remember in many cases your first action will not work. But when you take action 3 wonderful things happen. First of all you immediately get feedback that enables you to correct your course. Second of all you get more ideas on how to achieve your goal by taking action. And third of all your self-confidence goes up by the very fact that you are taking action, that you are taking the first step, and then the second step and then all the other steps toward your goal.

'The more effective you become, the better effective results you’ll receive and the better you’ll feel about yourself.'

The fourth quality for success that top people have is people orientation. This is the ability to build and maintain healthy relationships with other people. The health of your personal relationships is one of the most significant things in your overall happiness and success in life. It largely determines if you are successful and happy, or not. Maybe 85% of all your happiness in life, and your unhappiness, is going to come from your relationships with others. And wonderfully enough you can become better and better in your relationships with others sometimes by the simple act of asking questions and listening when they speak. The fifth success quality top people have is health orientation. This means that you consciously make an effort to eat the right foods, to take the right exercise and to live the very best life you can. What we have found is that there’s a direct correlation between the health of your body and the health of your mind. Both affect your overall achievement and well-being. The sixth quality of success is honesty and integrity orientation. Practice what is called the reality principle in all that you do. The reality principle says to deal with the world as it is, not as you wish it were. Don’t live in a fantasy land, hoping or pretending that something will be different. The integrity orientation requires that you never compromise your integrity for anyone or anything. It shows when you are a person of honor, a person of truth, and I cannot express this enough. Peter Drucker once said that in the final analysis the integrity of the person is everything in success and life. And finally, the seventh quality of success is self-discipline orientation. This is your ability to take complete responsibility for your life and your actions. And then discipline yourself to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not. You see, here is the discovery - anybody can do it if they feel like it. It’s when you don’t feel like getting up in the morning, when you don’t feel like planning and organizing your day, when you don’t feel like picking up that phone and making appointments even though you may get rejected, it’s when you don’t feel like it and you make yourself do it anyway that you develop the character and the persistence that leads to success. Now that we’ve gone through the 7 main success qualities, ask yourself which of these could you improve on. Where could you be a little bit better? Is there one quality that if you worked on it could make a significant positive difference in your life? Like self-discipline, or focusing on your results or setting your goals? Whatever it is, make a commitment and take action on improving that one quality, and everything else will follow from that.

'Practice what is called the reality principle in all that you do. The reality principle says to deal with the world as it is, not as you wish it were.'

Brian Tracy is a professional speaker, trainer, seminar leader, consultant and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a training and consulting company based in California. Brian is one of the top business speakers and authorities in the world today. He has spoken in over 60 countries and addresses more than 250,000 people worldwide each year. He is the best-selling author of more than fifty books, including Maximum Achievement, The Psychology of Selling, Eat that Frog, and The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success. Brian currently resides in Solana Beach, California, is happily married and has 4 children. For more information on Brian Tracy programs, go to: www.briantracy.com.

'The health of your personal relationships is one of the most significant things in your overall happiness and success in life.'

What is business growth?

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Ray Noble

What is business growth?

So you have started a business and you have survived the first year. That puts you up in the top 50%. The bad news is that statistics say that 95% of businesses fail in the first 5 years. How can you survive and thrive? How can you minimize the risks of growing? Even if your business has been around for over 5 years, how can you grow in the present economic conditions? What is business growth?

It isn’t just increased sales, since extra sales may not increase profits. Advertising and giving discounts or special offers may increase sales but will you be able to keep those customers? What will be the real impact on your margins? What will be the impact on the perceived value of the product or service? Once you start competing based on price you had better make sure you can keep up with the big players or you will have reduced your margins (or even made a loss) for nothing. It isn’t only increased profits because these might not be sustainable - customers might jump ship at the first opportunity – or you might not be generating positive cash flow. If you are too exposed to one client, market or supplier your business can change overnight. If your clients are not paying you, you may need to review your credit control or your client support.

A friend of mine has a recording studio where he used to do jingles for TV adverts. It had a high margin but advertising agencies come and go and are bad at paying their bills. The work is also quite sporadic, so he decided to specialize in voice dubbing for programs in different languages. This has a lower margin but steady, more reliable income, with realistic deadlines. He built a healthy company that has the best equipment and technicians and long term clients. Even so he added image editing capabilities and started making corporate videos for the Internet. Now he has steady cash flow and his risk exposure is significantly reduced with different markets and a varied client base.

'Business growth isn’t just increased sales, since extra sales may not increase profits... ... It isn’t only increased profits because these might not be sustainable ...'

If your business is based on one product that can become obsolete then growth means developing new products or services.

Growth also means building a structure so that the business runs efficiently and not totally dependent on one person (usually you). This will make the business more autonomous and give you the opportunity to be more strategic. If you fail to plan you plan to fail, plus planning will only produce results with good implementation and adequate follow-up. You should have key performance indicators that efficiently monitor the main areas and keep costs under control.

In summary, healthy growth is a balance of increasing both profits and cash flow in a sustainable manner so that they will continue into the future.

There are thousands of reasons why businesses don’t grow, and in most cases a variety of factors are present that stop a business reaching its’ full potential. This is true in the start-up phase as well as in the other stages that businesses go through as they mature. Factors that are holding you back may be a mixture that requires some in depth analysis to identify and separate, for which an expert or at least a fresh pair of eyes may be needed. Suppose you are always firefighting. This can be due to a lack of timely information that tells you how the business is doing. An in-house CPA, for example, may cost way more than you can afford but the type of outsourcing is a trade-off of costs and benefits. Another reason may be that staff are always coming to you for guidance because you haven't trained them properly or don't have adequate systems and procedures. No ship can sail without a compass and instruments to provide its bearings or it will never get to the destination and will risk running aground.

Nothing is static in business, and the rate of change is increasing. With globalization and the spread of information people have more data and choice as to products and suppliers. Often by the time a new business gets off the ground changes in conditions make it unviable. Continued change and uncertainty is something that we can be sure of for the foreseeable future and we must learn to anticipate trends and customer demand, innovation and cost fluctuations if we are to thrive and not just survive. Copying others in the industry and trying to adopt the latest management craze is unlikely to give better results than your competition is already getting. You started your business with a vision. Systems, plans and strategies are tools to adapt and progress. Business growth only happens if you stay in touch with the vision and rally your staff around it so that it comes from the heart.

'Growth also means building a structure so that the business runs efficiently and not totally dependent on one person (usually you). This will make the business more autonomous and give you the opportunity to be more strategic.'

Ray Noble, co-founder of Success Academy - www.success-academy.org - brings 30 years of international experience in auditing, CFO and VP of multinational companies and management consultancy in the UK, Saudi Arabia and Portugal. His leadership training (INSEAD, IMEDE) make him a solution oriented trainer and mentor inspiring clients to excel and creating ‘out of the box’ measurable goals. He is the author of 'Stunted Growth - 100 Reasons Why Your Business Might Be Going Nowhere' (coming out in April). He is English and lives in sunny Portugal with his wife and daughter.

'Business growth only happens if you stay in touch with the vision and rally your staff around it so that it comes from the heart.'

Don't you just love going back to a restaurant where you’ve previously enjoyed a scrumptious meal?

You know…

The food’s going to be tasty, the service exemplary, the drink – just as is should be.

And then…

When it doesn’t live up to its past record – we are mightily disappointed. Especially if we’ve been raving about it – and even taken friends with us!

It’s almost better if the restaurant had been OK and stayed with OK – isn’t it? At least if they’d maintained OK we’d have known where we stood.

And it’s the same with everything!

We prefer ‘consistency’ to irregularity – true!

If something is just OK and we’re prepared to accept it as OK – then we’ll keep going back. I know plenty of breakfast places where the food’s OK. The service is good, the tea drinkable and I’ll return.

But what gets me; gets my goat so to speak are the places that oscillate from brilliant to crap!

Over the last few weeks…

I’ve had the opportunity to stay in an hotel on the south coast of the UK. It’s been – well – pretty good.

Lunch – just fabulous! Dinner – OK but variable, breakfast consistently poor. So at least at breakfast I know where I stand. Dinner, after 2 occasions was taken elsewhere.

And I’m wondering…

In my own business if I’m maintaining whatever level of service my clients and customers have come to expect. I think so, I hope so! You do know what I mean by all this meandering don’t you?

Consistency matters!

I’d rather it (whatever it is) was OK all the time – than variable! You too?

Would it be worth taking a look at your concern just to check? Would it be worth a customer survey? Would it be worth the discussion?

Will you?

Peter Thomson Editor & "Consistent" Publisher of tgimondays www.peterthomson.com

It’s Unnerving When They Don’t

Peter Thomson is regarded as one of the UK’s leading strategists on business and personal growth. Starting in business in 1972 he built 3 successful companies – selling the last to a public company, after only 5 years trading, for £4.2M enabling him to retire at age 42. Since then Peter has concentrated on sharing his proven methods for business and personal success via audio and video programs, books, seminars and conference speeches.

Peter Thomson

Get Visibly Fit™

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Wendie Pett

Get Visibly Fit™ Without Going to a Gym

While going to a gym and working out isn’t a bad thing, working out in the privacy of your own home is even better. You don’t have to listen to the clanking of fitness machines, worry about what to wear, or wait to use a piece of equipment. By using your body as your gym in the comfort of your own home, it allows for freedom, flexibility and rewarding results. Working out and using my Visibly Fit exercise techniques has many benefits, it’s not just aesthetics! You gain strength, endurance, speed, balance, flexibility and coordination. You will also feel better and have more energy during your day, which is critical for daily living.

The history of my program began centuries ago with the ancient Greeks. Some of my Visibly Fit moves are similar to the moves they practiced when training for the Olympics. They used quite a bit of isometrics and visualized resistance because they didn’t have health clubs back in their day. Their body was their gym! And your body is your gym! The Visibly Fit techniques use what I call mind/muscle connection – you must think into the muscle you are using in order to fully tense, contract and activate the muscle effectively. Here are a few exercises to incorporate into your day – anytime and anywhere!

1. Bicep Curl – Visualize a weight in your hand as you have your arm down by your side with your fist closed. Now, go ahead and lift the “weight” that you are visualizing by bending your elbow and bringing your fist up close to your shoulder. Make sure you squeeze the bicep (the front of the arm) as you use slow, controlled movements. You will then slowly lower your arm in the same fashion. Remember, you have a visualized weight in your hand. As you bring your arm slowly down with tension, then you will feel the tricep (back of the arm) getting a workout as well. Perform 10-12 on each arm. You will be working both the positive and negative muscle groups at the same time without putting wear and tear on your joints, tendons, or ligaments.

'The Greeks used quite a bit of isometrics and visualized resistance because they didn’t have health clubs back in their day. Their body was their gym!

2. Pectoral Contraction – Stretch your arms out wide to your sides. Apply tension from finger tip to finger tip, but drop and relax the shoulders. Next, visualize someone pressing against your arms as you press them out in front of you. Pretend as if you are squeezing against a big exercise ball. You will feel this in your chest (pectorals), your arms and your upper back. As you bring your arms slowly (with tension) back to beginning position and then press your arms back, try to pinch your shoulder blades together. Make sure to keep your stomach in tight as you perform this move as well. Perform 10-12.

3. High Reach - This is one of the exercises that helped to heal my shoulder injury after being in a devastating snow mobile accident years ago. The surgeon wanted to do surgery, but I was able to heal my body naturally with my Visibly Fit techniques. Here’s how - Put your arms up in a goal post position and flex. Twist your upper torso without twisting your hips – it’s a slight twist to engage the abdominal muscles. Now, with tension and flexion, reach up high toward the ceiling as if you are trying to bust through it. Then bring that arm back down with tension to the goal post position. As you bring your arm down, activate not only the shoulder and arm muscles, but your latissimus dorsi muscle (your “lats” or side of your mid-back). Then twist to the other side and reach with the other arm. Perform 10-12 on each side. Remember, it’s slow and controlled movements.

4. Deep Breathing Abs Exercise – Inhale deeply through the nose while lifting your stomach up and in and your chest will be lifted up and out. As you exhale, release the breath through your mouth making a hissing sound. Slowly blow the air out as you drop your stomach down and back towards the spine. Make sure to release all of the breath. You should feel this in your abs and in your low back. It’s a very powerful move and it will offer you more energy throughout your day. Practice often!!!

5. Deep Knee Bend – I like to engage my entire body, not just my legs. So, put your arms in an isometric hold (pressing your fist into your hand) in front of your chest. Have your feet about shoulder width apart and slowly squat back. Keep your weight in the heels of your feet, knees do not jet out over your toes, bottom out far behind you, do not bend your torso forward, and your quadriceps muscles are fully flexed and engaged and you bend down. Then use the same tension and slowly come up to the beginning position, but at the top of the move – push your pelvis forward and squeeze your glutes (butt). Repeat 10-12 times.

Listen to your body and decide what works best for you. Start where you are and build gradually. You will get stronger and see results day by day, just keep pressing on. You no longer have to be a slave to the gym - Visibly Fit can be practiced anywhere and anytime for your best health!

'Listen to your body and decide what works best for you. Start where you are and build gradually. You will get stronger and see results day by day, just keep pressing on. You no longer have to be a slave to the gym '

Wendie Pett is a nationally renowned fitness expert and coach, mother, TV host, speaker, author and creator of the Visibly Fit™ exercise program. Wendie’s Visibly Fit™ instructional DVDs teach wellness maximization through the balance of mind, body, and spirit while using one’s body as a gym (and saving hundreds in membership fees). To learn more, visit www.wendiepett.com and www.visiblyfitin84days.com.

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James Wedmore

How to Create a Video

What should you say in your videos?

Here is a 5 part outline youtube video format you can follow to make better videos and get even better results.

Part 1 - The attention Grabber - you have 3 seconds to grab the attention of your audience and tell them what your video is all about before they click away and move on...

Part 2 - The Intro Bumper - you need to brand your video with a 4-6 seconds sizzle piece that includes your name, logo, tag-line and some snazzy music.

Part 3 - The Content - Use the power of video to teach, demonstrate and inspire! After you deliver your content, you must deliver your call to action - tell them exactly what to do and why they need to do it.

Part 4 - The Outro Bumper - this is simply a repeated variation of your Intro Bumper that reinforces your call to action.

Part 5 - The Outtakes - when your video ends treat your viewers to a little behind the scenes of all those ridiculous mistakes you made while filming, this will train your audience to stay until the end of your video. James Wedmore has a talent for breaking down and keeping simple the hottest and most lucrative, marketing vehicle on the web - VIDEO. James is a LA Film School Grad, author of 'The YouTube Marketing Book' and Founder of Video Traffic Academy, a community of +6,000 small business owners leveraging the power of video for online success. To learn more visit www.jameswedmore.com.

At the end of the day, you need only 2 things to succeed online. Traffic and Conversions.

And, with video you can easily accomplish both...

Get the Infograph

How to Create

a Video

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Mark Rhodes

Success Mindset

Everything in life, boils down to 2 aspects: Skillset and Mindset. The Skillset is pretty commodity these days. We can go to Google and we find the skillset to pretty much anything. It’s what we do, when we do it, how we do it. But the mindset, the belief, the confidence, the motivation, the compelling goal, that is very often the missing point. Let me give an example of mindset. If I was to get a table here now , 2 chairs, 2 phones and some cold calling scripts, and I said “let’s get 2 people out of the audience and let’s make some cold calls”. One person picks up the phone and start dialing, the other person runs out of the room. We probably all know which one of the 2 we would more likely be. The only difference between those 2 people is how they are thinking about it which is causing them either to engage in the action or run away. What is going on inside our heads. Because we have this simple mechanism that the thoughts we have cause how we feel. How we feel determines the level of action we take, the quality of action, and that determines the results we get. I always used to go into sales situations seeing the deal signed. I knew I was going to get the deal, so I had a massively fantastic near 100% conversion rate. And I couldn’t believe when I started working with people, that so many would go into a sales situation thinking about all the stuff that could go wrong… thinking that they might never sign up, that they might be a nuisance, etc... So it amazed me, and I started pointing out to people about these thoughts made up of self-talk… we chatter to ourselves inside our heads. Don’t worry, you are not the only one, we all do it! 24-7! And those of you sitting there saying ‘what a load of rubbish, I don’t talk to myself’… you are doing it Now! It’s so habitual we don’t realize it! We make pictures in our minds even though we may not be aware of them. We visualize how things are going to go like before we get there. You see, if I asked you what was the color of your front door at home, the only way you can answer is to make a picture in your mind. Many go “yeah, he’s right I made a picture of it!”., others still say “No, I just know what the color of my front door is”. For those people I say “slow the picture down...what way does the door open, to the left or to the right?" You see, to answer that question we have to hold the picture in your head a little while longer... So that’s what it’s all about!

What I am going to talk about is the mindset for success and achieving your dreams. You can apply what I am going to talk about to any aspect of your life. You can apply it to business success, personal life, relationships.'

Note: Text is a transcript with minor adjustments to facilitate reading

So before I delve in more talking about the mindset to success, I want to tell you my personal journey not only because it’s relevant but because I was in a different situation from a lot of people, that I had success, and then went and read all the books and went to all the seminars and realized that most of it I was doing naturally. So my story is a little different from other people’s. At 18 years old, the only career strategy that I had for life was that I wanted a car. That was it. Not only did I want a car, I wanted the best car that I could get. And my grandmother used to say to me when I went on about getting the best car that I could get, she would say “Mark, I don’t know why you’re so obsessed about getting the best car that you could get, after all, no matter what car you drive you still see the same out of the windows.” Now that’s something only a grandmother could say. Which is why I know that as a speaker I’m supposed to come up here and build up my credibility, but I’ve got to be upfront, there are 2 groups of people far better than me to deliver this talk about how to live successfully: 1st group, grandmothers - they know everything, and you can never prove them wrong; 2nd group, 4year old children. What does a 4 year old do? Live in the moment, not give a damn what anyone else thinks and keep going at things until they get the result they’re after. Now if we had that mentality in business, how much more successful would most of us be? So we’ve all got it in us! This isn’t about learning anything new! This is about unlearning all the rubbish we’ve picked up since we were four years old. When I start working with people and they tell me they want to be more successful, I immediately say to them “Why aren’t you? Why aren’t you more successful”? They then think they’re giving me a list of reasons, but they are giving me a list of excuses: “I’m too young, I’m too old, I don’t have the right educational background, my parents weren’t successful, I live in the wrong place”. Being successful isn’t about any of those things. We can find .com millionaires 15 years old - they weren’t too young! Coronel Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken didn’t make his money until he was 65, he wasn’t too old! It’s not about any of those things. Successful people it’s about how they think. They think differently to the masses. They go into situations with expectation of a good outcome and enthusiasm. Genuine enthusiasm. Now what I found more and more as I speak at direct selling events, asking the top selling people in this organization “How come your so good at selling?” is that most times they say “I’m actually not very good at selling, but I just love this product.” So we have enthusiasm, expectation of a good outcome, they are also confident and definite about what they can do, and what they do. The other thing that successful people have is they respond rather than react to things. At times, something happens and we overreact, we don’t take time to analyze it, find out more information and then make a considered response. Also successful people look at failure very differently to what most people do. As N. Hill says in ‘Think and Grow Rich’, failure is an unplanned outcome. We don’t fail at anything in life until we decide to give up going for it. That’s when we fail. The difference between those that make it and those that don’t, in most cases, is the ones that don’t make it give up too soon. That’s the big difference. They don’t keep looking and get curious about what’s happening, adjust their approach and then go and do more. So how is it that they manage to do this? When you say to them “How do you keep going with all of those failures, how do keep going for it?” They just say a lot of the time “I just always knew that one day I’d make it”. And I found out it’s because they’ve got a dream and a visualization in their heads they believe in. They believe that that is the person that they’re supposed to become. And that is what keeps them going!

Mark Rhodes is an Entrepreneur, Business Mentor, International Speaker and Trainer in Success and shows businesses how to improve their results with little or no extra effort. He is also the author of the mainstream published book "Think Your Way to Success". Mark works locally and internationally and lives in the UK with his wife Jackie and children Holly and James. rhodes2success.com

What your social presence says about your business

You can tell a lot about a company just by checking out their Facebook or Twitter

pages. Customers are now empowered with extensive and instant resources to research their purchases and they don’t hesitate to use them. Whether it’s checking out product reviews on Amazon, doing a quick Google search or checking your social media profiles, they are going to learn one thing about you very quickly. Do you care about your customers? When a prospective customer stumbles across a bare Facebook page with unanswered questions from current customers, no helpful information and the most recent post is from October 2010…they aren’t feeling the love. A lot of businesses still don’t understand the value or the importance of social media. I often have many of them ask these questions: Why do we need to add more to our already heavy workload? Whatever happened to the days when email and telephone were enough? These are reasonable questions that I asked myself in the beginning, but there is a flaw in this thinking. As entrepreneurs, we make money by retaining existing customers and attracting new customers. This means it is essential to be visible where your customers are spending their time. In Canada chances are close to 80% of your target market is spending time on social media sites. According to comScore, Canada holds the highest worldwide average in 'average time spent on social networks'.

Gaining Credibility On Social Media If your company isn’t already a household name with a reliable reputation, then you need a way to quickly establish credibility with those who have never heard of you. When social media is used properly, it is potentially one of the most powerful tools for gaining credibility very quickly. The other factors that contribute to your online credibility are: Social proof (Facebook likes, comments, Twitter followers, etc.) Customer reviews/testimonials Providing valuable content via blogging

Melonie Dodaro

Most entrepreneurs get the shifty eyes when blogging is mentioned because they hear a different word: time. Blogging is extremely powerful because it positions you as the expert and can literally attract your customers to you by providing them solutions to their problems, as long as your blogs are search engine optimized (SEO). You can have the most helpful blog in the world but it won’t help anyone if it can’t be found.

Where You Get Your ROI A 2012 study sponsored by Social Media Examiner determined that 85% of marketers indicated their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses and increasing traffic to their website/blog was the second major benefit with 69% reporting positive results. Gaining marketplace insight and generating leads were close behind with 65% and 58%, respectively.

'Find out where your target market is and focus your time and efforts in those places. .'

Melonie Dodaro, founder of Top Dog Social Media helps business owners, thought leaders and professionals use social media marketing to boost their visibility, attract new clients and increase revenue. Dubbed by the media as Canada’s #1 LinkedIn expert and social media strategist, she’s also a highly sought after social media speaker and trainer. Linkedin Corporation has even sought out Melonie as an expert to provide training to their premium members. To learn more about Melonie visit www.TopDogSocialMedia.com.

Social media has incredible potential and leverage for building brands and that’s obvious by the results companies are seeing with it. I think any business owner would safely agree that having an active community centered on their brand in the form of a successful Facebook page or Twitter account has clear marketing value. The real struggle for many is achieving that with a reasonable investment of time and money. If you talk to any great accountant, they will tell you one of the fastest ways to improve your cash flow is by cutting unnecessary expenses. In the case of social media, you have to think about what aspects of it are not serving your end goal and are wasting your time and not resulting in a positive ROI. Find out where your target market is and focus your time and efforts in those places. If you’re in B2B, it’s important to understand that studies have shown LinkedIn to be 4 times more effective than Facebook or Twitter. These are the types of details that often get missed when businesses evaluate their social media strategy. Most senior management members have a hard time understand the exact ROI of their social media efforts and only consider the direct dollar value. You’ll continue to struggle to find your exact dollar value in the same way you struggle to find it for improved search rankings on Google, market research, word-of-mouth marketing and even expanded business partnerships. Social media directly effects and improves every one of these areas and more. “Audiences everywhere are tough. They don’t have time to be bored or brow beaten by orthodox, old-fashioned advertising. We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in & be what people are interested in.” ~Craig Davis. What Is Going To Get Their Attention? Out of over 300 million Americans, 200 million are registered on the FTC’s “Do Not Call” list. Stats show that over 86% of people skip TV ads and 44% of direct mail is never opened. If you need any more proof that people don’t want to hear or see your advertising, I encourage you to research the declining trends in traditional advertising effectiveness (I’m sure you’re already well aware of it). A study done by Outbrain found that video is the most popular content type created by brand and agency marketers with an overwhelming 87%.

This correlated with a consensus among marketers that the key focus in the future of successful social media marketing strategies will be increasing the use of video and YouTube.

Get the Most out of Your Foods for the Best Results

If you can’t tell me exactly what you ate today then you might be living to eat. If you can’t pass up a bowl of M&Ms and you don’t recall eating them then you might be living to eat. Almost sounds like a new Jeff Foxworthy comedian skit. -“You might be living to eat if…” Most people that live to eat are mindless eaters. These “mindless nibble moments” can negate any of your positive efforts of eating healthy throughout the rest of your day.

Wendie Pett

Not only is it important to be mindful of what you eat due to caloric intake, but also for health safety. This might gross you out, but have you ever thought of the other people that grabbed those M&Ms out of the bowl before you? Are you certain that they had clean hands? So, not only are you taking in needless calories, but you are taking a risk of getting ill due to possible bacteria contamination.

Bacterial contamination of foods can also become present by the way you prepare and store your foods. Most of the “cleanliness” rules are obvious, but are often over-looked due to hurried behavior. If you take the time to eat to live mindfully and prepare your foods properly then you will be on track for living a healthier life. Did you know that being mindful of preparing foods can even affect the quality of vitamins and minerals in your fruits and vegetables! Natural enzymes are found in fruits and vegetables that synthesis and degrade vitamins. Once fruits and vegetables are picked, their vitamins begin to be degraded. By refrigerating most fruits and vegetables, the process of degradation can be slowed down, helping to preserve as much of the valuable nutrients as possible. Some vitamins are destroyed by the presence of oxygen, so keep cut fruits and vegetables in airtight containers. Protect water-soluble vitamins (Vitamins B and C) that can be found in most produce by washing before cutting instead of after and by microwaving or steaming when preparing. These are simple ideas, but are important to

implement for maximizing the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables. Your body can better absorb the valuable nutrients of foods by eating certain combinations of them together. For example, eating foods rich in vitamin C can help enhance absorption of foods rich in iron when eaten in the same meal. A strawberry spinach salad is a great option (as well as one of my favorites) to maximize iron absorption! Having a food rich in vitamin D (fortified dairy products and cereals) can help absorb calcium from foods when eaten in the same meal. Fortified dairy usually contains both calcium and vitamin D for this purpose. Calcium can be found in small quantities in fruits and vegetables such as spinach, tofu, oranges, broccoli and bok choy. So, for the smartest and most beneficial ways to get the most out of your foods then follow my principles and you’ll be healthier along your wellness journey.

Wendie Pett is a nationally renowned fitness expert and coach, mother, speaker, author and creator of the Visibly Fit™ exercise program. Her many Visibly Fit™ instructional DVDs teach wellness maximization through the balance of mind, body, and spirit as well how to use your body as your gym. To learn more about Wendie and her program visit: www.wendiepett.com.

Many people live to eat instead of eat to live! Do you know which person you are?

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Success is...

To LISTEN, LISTEN and then talk...

To FAIL several times before you attain your goal. If you don't, maybe you didn't aim high enough!

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