I recently spent one of the most amazing weekends of my life. I visited London to attend on of Joseph McClendon III’s motivational seminars and WOW, this was a game-changer for me.

For those who aren’t familiar with him, Joseph McClendon has worked closely with Tony Robbins for years and serves as Senior Head Trainer and instructor at Robbins Research’s Mastery University.

Joseph holds numerous certifications in the neuro-sciences and uses his in-depth understanding of the human mind to break through the barrier between our conscious and subconscious minds.

Anyone trying to use the law of attraction has experienced the heavy roadblocks that exist deep within our subconscious minds. These blockages can sabotage all of our efforts towards manifesting success and abundance in our lives.

But what if there were a magic switch, an access point where we could easily and painlessly tap into our subconscious and replace all the negativity there with positive and inspiring truths? How much faster would we get to where we want to be if we could simply re-program our subconscious minds in an instant?

This is exactly what Joseph teaches and let me tell you…it is nothing short of miraculous. Using the techniques that I learned over my weekend with Joseph I can now instantly transform my mindset any time I want.

Now let me say one quick thing, I am not an affiliate for Joseph McClendon III (although I’d be thrilled to be one!) and I’m not writing this to you in an attempt to sell you on anything.

I only wanted to share with you the pathway to some of the most powerful tools and techniques I’ve come across in my years of entrepreneurship. If you get the chance, please don’t miss out on attending one of these amazing experiences. Then come back and share what you discovered with the rest of us. I can’t wait to hear from you!

“The amount of people that fail is directly proportionate to the amount of people that give up.”

- Joseph McClendon III

That’s right. One of the first truly devastating economic bubbles was the tulip bubble during the early 17th century. While not on a global scale like the bubble bursts we have been witnessing today, this story brings up an interesting question whether simple irrationality is to blame for the phenomenon of economic bubbles.

In 1593, tulips were introduced to the Dutch from Turkey. These flowers had colors more vibrant and beautiful than any flower seen before and the Dutch immediately prized them and began cultivating them on a large scale.

At one point, the tulips became infected with a non-fatal virus. Instead of harming the plant, the virus simply left them altered leaving “flames” of colors on the petals.

These altered tulips, rare in nature, became increasingly valuable. That is to say, people assumed they were becoming more valuable and became willing to spend more money on them.

One could almost call what ensued a “buying frenzy.” This is the initiation of the bubble, the stage has been set, and now poorly-made assumptions and irrational decision making fuel the bubble’s inflation. Just like a hot-air balloon.

The prices of some tulips rose twenty times in a period of just one month. In 1624, a dealer in Amsterdam was offered the equivalent of a wealthy merchant’s annual salary for ONE tulip bulb. Obviously these prices could not sustain themselves.

Soon, the bubble burst as they all do and lives were devastated. Fortunes were lost in a matter of days. Men were left holding their heads in their hands wondering how they could have been so stupid.

The lesson here is to avoid getting swept up with the crowds. Keep a steady eye on what’s going on in the world and our economy. Trust your gut when something seems too good to be true.

And invest in the things that never lose their value. Like silver and gold. (I cannot say this often enough.)

If you’d like to learn a little more about that, head over to goldsilver.com and meet my friend Mike Maloney. He’ll teach you everything you need to know.

Or ask me a question below in the comments section. I’m happy to help!

I’ve learned a lot about internet marketing this year, and I have to say it hasn’t always been easy. There’s so much to read, watch, listen to…sometimes I really felt like throwing the towel in and giving up.

But once you are able to sift through all the bad advice and the repetitive information, there’s a few key elements that are all that’s needed to really have a successful internet marketing campaign. A great landing page is most certainly one of these elements.

Avoid these three common mistakes when developing your own landing pages. After all, it’s always easier to learn from other people’s mistakes than your own.

1. Bad Headlines – Your headline is your one split-second chance to grab someone’s attention. It is by far one of the most critical aspects of a great landing page. Don’t bore your reader with a long headline. Rather, let them know you understand their problem and you’re about to offer them a solution. And make it snappy!

2. Offering Choices – There should only ever be one call to action on a landing page and that call to action should be clearly defined. Avoid the temptation to “be accommodating” by offering people more than one option. Studies show that when faced with a choice, people tend to simply walk away. Tell them what you want them to do and how they can do it now!

3. Ignoring Design – Arrange your landing pages so the eye moves easily around the page. Keep most of the important info (including your call to action!) at the top of the page. People are lazy, they don’t want to scroll down nor do they want to decipher a poorly designed landing page.

I hope these tips help you to avoid some of the common landing page pitfalls. Please leave your thoughts, tips and experiences below!

So the new year is upon us as are our new fiscal balance sheets. Have you begun to create what your 2011 will look like financially?

Make this year better than all the others by taking more control of your money. Understand that every little step you take towards a more stable financial future can grow exponentially over time. No effort is too small in this area.

Follow these three steps to get you started off on the right foot:

1. Go back to a manual transmission. No, not with your car but with your finances. Automated services such as direct-deposits and automatic monthly payments can be useful time-savers, but they can also cause you to lose touch with your financial situation. Take a hands-on approach in 2011 and un-automate your finances.

2. Set clearly defined financial goals. “Having more money this year.” is NOT a clearly defined financial goal and will only get you more of the same. “Increasing my income by 20%.” IS a clearly defined goal. Create as many of these as you can reasonably expect to achieve.

3. Take stock of what you have right now. It’s tough to know where you are headed if you don’t know where you are today. So take some time to carefully inventory exactly what you have. The key to being in control of your financial future is understanding your financial present.

Don’t forget to live it up too! You won’t look back on 2011 as being the best year yet if you don’t take the time to enjoy life. Loosen up the wallet from time to time and treat yourself to a nice dinner or day at the spa. Celebrate your achievements with others and always reward yourself as well.

Mike Maloney, Rich Dad Robert Kiyosaki’s financial advisor and precious metals consultant, is over in Europe today working on his film about investing in gold and silver.

He met with Max Keiser in Paris and they put together this video to share their thoughts on what’s going on in today’s currency and precious metals market. When as I saw this short video, I had to stop everything and post it here for you right away.

Silver and gold are literally going up in value every minute of every day. As a previous financial advisor who spent years working for one of the largest banks in Sweden, it is my belief that in order to best protect our financial future we should all take advantage of the unbelievable opportunities presented to us today.

Take a few minutes to watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghBkuuk9vpI

After that, if you want to learn more visit Mike’s website GoldSilver.com.

Things are going to get worse before they begin to improve, I’m afraid. But I’ll be keeping you posted on all the latest news here on the blog and also over at my FaceBook page.

Be sure to “like” the FaceBook page and subscribe for my blog updates so you won’t miss any important information. Things are going to start happening very quickly and I want to make sure everyone has the best chance at protecting themselves when the time comes.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section below or shoot me a quick email and I’ll get right back to you. My goal is to help as many people as I can during this crazy time in our history and I hope you’re one of them!

All my best,
Anette

For years I struggled with identifying my strengths. While it was always easy to define my weaknesses, getting clear on what I did really well was never as easy. Finally, I came across someone who offered me some invaluable advice on finding my strengths and I want to share that advice with you here.

1. What topics do you enjoy talking about?

The things that interest us are always the things that we seem to talk about nonstop. There’s a catch though, because if you talk incessantly about the things that bother you and your complaints…nothing I say here can help you. A negative attitude is destructive on many levels. However, if you do have something you’re passionate about, chances are you’re very good at whatever that is.

2. Is it ideas, things or people that get you really excited?

If you’re great at tinkering with things, chances are you’re a mechanical-type of person. You’ll want to find ways to do things with your hands to help you grow personally. If you’re a people person, than your journey of personal growth will usually involve other people. If ideas get you most excited, you might enjoy writing or researching. By involving the things that excite you in your formula of personal growth, you’ll stand a greater chance of having some real breakthroughs.

3. What is it that you enjoy most about what you’re doing today?

The truth is, if we do not love what we’re doing, chances are we won’t find true success by doing them. Identify what it is you most enjoy doing and…do more of it. Find ways to incorporate the things you love with the things that feel more like chores.

4. Who do you know, or can locate, who does all the things that interest you?

It’s so simple, but so many of us never think to do it. If you know of someone who’s doing all the things that interest you, give them a call. Ask them how they got into what they’re doing and if they have any advice for you moving forward.

5. Who will you find to mentor you in the future?
As we grow personally, so do our mentoring needs change. Finding a good mentor is a major key to success in any business. Mentors can open up new possibilities and new ideas and get you excited and inspired about your future.

So what are some of your weaknesses and strengths? How do you approach personal growth & development?

“Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.” ~Doug Firebaugh

In 1955, Mr. Cyril Northcote Parkinson began his essay in The Economist as follows:

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

Later republished in a collection of Mr. Parkinson’s essays, this adage has become known as Parkinson’s Law and what it means, basically, is this: whether you give yourself 100 hours or 1 hour to complete a task, that is exactly how long it will take you.

Think about the implications if this were true, and I believe it is. How much time is being wasted on setting the bar too low for ourselves?

As entrepreneurs, we often forget the true value of our time. We simply get so used to working 12 hour days, it becomes what’s normal. Because we allow for long hours, the work always ends up filling the time.

So what would happen if we constricted ourselves to only working a fraction of the time we normally spend? I’m willing to try it out and fully expect to be able to get the same amount done in less time.

It’s important to value our time as much as we do our money. Imagine suddenly bringing in twice the income you were expecting this month. Well, isn’t that exactly what you are doing by producing the same amount of work in less time?

Another key benefit to putting tighter constraints on our work hours is that it means we have more time to take better care of ourselves, get proper rest and have some fun. We tend to eat healthier, exercise more and feel better when we work less hours.

The big win is that all this leads to tremendous boosts in productivity!

I hope you’ll join me on this experiment to simultaneously increase our business’ productivity while decreasing the overall time we spend working. Please stop by and share your tips, insights and experiences with time management.

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” ~Albert Einstein

There’s a list that I call the Ten Commandments to Success and I’ve been meaning to share it with you here.

I wholeheartedly believe that my success, and the success of others is directly correlated to their attitudes and mindsets. In many of these you can see just how a simple shift in consciousness or awareness can truly transform one’s life.

I’ll share the first five commandments with you today, but you’ll want to come back next week so you don’t miss the remaining commandments!

1. The right attitude is more important than the right resources.

There are not many times in life when we have EVERYTHING that we need. This is always true. However, by engendering the proper “attitude of gratitude” for the things we do have, and be open to receiving those we don’t, you’d be amazed at the miracles that can take place.

2. Impossible is only an opinion.

What would our lives be like today if everyone who has made discoveries in science and technology had believed that “impossible” was a fact? When anyone tells you something is impossible, even if it’s your own mind, set out to peacefully prove them wrong.

3. Change the “F” word from “Failure” to “Feedback”

In truth there are no failures. Scientists know this from the scientific method. Every outcome, even those unexpected, provide important information. The same holds true for you and your business.

4. My feelings are my own.

We like to think that other people make us feel sad, or unhappy, or weak. The truth is, that’s just not the case. We alone are responsible for how we feel and react to what goes on around us. Taking back this responsibility is extremely empowering.

5. It’s better to make a mistake than to not try at all.

Sometimes we are so conditioned to be afraid of making mistakes that we opt to sit in a safe corner and never try anything new. But doing what you’ve always done will only get you to where you’ve always been. Be bold! Be brave! Go out there and make mistakes until you succeed.

Be sure to stop back next week for the last five commandments. And please leave your comments and questions below!

Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same.”  ~Francesca Reigler

Have you been working hard trying to have breakthroughs but getting nowhere fast? You’re not alone. You most likely have the same barriers to success that I struggled with for years.

Luckily, now you have me here to share with you my experience of how I overcame those barriers and began to achieve goals in life I’d only ever dreamed of.

1. Probably the most common barrier to success and personal growth is one’s own imagination. If you cannot imagine yourself succeeding, you will always ultimately fail. The simple, but not always easy, solution is to to re-program your thoughts so that you can begin to allow success and abundance easily into your life.

2. Lacking a strong support system is another common barrier. If you are surrounded by negative messages from friends, spouses, family members or co-workers you may be having a toxic reaction. Identify the areas of your life that need improvement and set out to build a healthy and supportive system around you. You’ve already started to do this simply by reading my post here!

3. Focusing excessively on past failures or disappointments can also turn toxic and present a barrier to your success. Remember that there are no real failures, simply opportunities for personal growth and learning. In order for you to achieve your goals in life, you must push past these unpleasant memories only taking with you what is useful.

4. Believe it or not, a lack of planning can show itself as a barrier to reaching your goals. Unless you sit down and clearly define your goals and the steps needed to achieve them you will just end up chasing your tail. Don’t underestimate the importance of this step.

By tearing down these barriers to success and personal growth, you will begin to see clearings in your life, both personal and business. Do not forget to reward yourself and celebrate your accomplishments.

I’d love it if you shared with us some of the barriers you have struggled with along the way and how you’ve addressed them.

“You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices.” ~Deepak Chopra

People ask me all the time what are the most important secrets to my success. While there really are no “secrets” there are a few elements that I think all successful entrepreneurs share. One of the most important elements is learning how to stay focused.

Without focus, our efforts will always lack purpose and direction. By failing to keep focused one can easily begin to spin their wheels and chase their tails. It will get you no where in the end.

I’ve compiled a list of five of my favorite tips on staying focused and increasing concentration power that will transform your efforts and bring a new level of power and impact to them.

1. Develop a powerful purpose. You must find your most powerful “why?” and build on that. This purpose, combined with the belief that you will succeed, can improve your motivation and begin to attract the resources you need for that success.

2. Visualize your goals. One thing I love to do is create a “dream board.” On a plain sheet of poster board paste some pictures, words or other images that represent the goals and dreams you are working towards. Keep this in your workspace as a visual reminder.

3. List your objectives. Again, by making a physical record of your goals, your subconscious will become linked to those goals and you’ll really begin to enjoy better results.

4. Take actionable steps each and every day towards your goals. Break each goal down into daily tasks and follow through on those tasks. Hold yourself accountable to those tasks the same way your boss would.

5. Celebrate your achievements. Every time you reach a milestone or have a success, treat yourself to something nice. Maybe it’s a meal at your favorite restaurant or a trip to the movies. Whatever it is, be sure to reward yourself.

Use these five steps to stay focused and bring yourself closer and closer to achieving your goals. Soon these actions will begin to affect every area of your life. Remember, personal growth is not only about growing our business…it’s about creating better lives for ourselves and loved ones.

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” ~Anthony Robbins