Defining the Traits of a Successful Leader

by: Archie R. Lawhorne

What makes a good leader? For starters, leaders don't wait for other people to give them permission to do something. They just do it. Leaders accept responsibility for the choices they make in life. They don't get sucked into the "victim mentality" syndrome, which is characterized by a persistent desire for people to blame others for their poor choices. Bottom line: Leaders realize that the decisions they make are all theirs, and thus take full responsibility for any resulting failures.

In the world of business - especially network marketing and direct sales - leadership is the defining ingredient that separates the mediocre from the superstars. It's the act of persuasion. It's getting people to see new perspectives and do things they normally wouldn't do. It's about setting your ego aside and having the passion and charisma to get people to follow you. Leaders don't follow. They just do.

Can an average person become a leader? Yes, most certainly.

People can transform themselves and make huge strides in leadership abilities just as they do in other areas of personal development. It starts with inner self-leadership and expands outward to influence and move others around you.

Leadership is about self-direction and self-control and shows in what "we do." Become the right kind of person (passionate, responsible, doer, believer) and others will flock right into your lap, and not until.

But, like other areas of self improvement, it's no easy task, because man's natural instinct is mediocrity. Yes, mediocrity. It would be nice if we could all become leaders by simply following a few simple steps. But the path to leadership requires finding our own way. The direction we take will differ for each of us. However, there are a few key traits we can focus on.

No Fear But Fear Itself
So what is it that keeps us from pursuing opportunities, leading others, taking action and doing what we really want to do? One word: FEAR. Fear of rejection. Fear of people.

Fear of trying new things. Fear of not being perfect. Enjoying our comfort zone (average).

It's almost as if the fears we have actually begin to become like bondage. Ever feel that way? You can usually tell who lives in fear. They usually wear them on their sleeves. Ever hear people say:

"I would try that but I just don't have time." "That program will never work. I already tried networking and it didn't work before." "I would listen to you, but that sounds like some pyramid scheme."

The list of the doubts and fears that roll off people's lips is endless. Stand in any line with people, on the bus or at work, and listen to the idle chatter. You'll hear people's fear in their everyday conversation. "Oh, I hate working here, but the job market is just too difficult to try and find something else." If you want to be a great leader, learn to conquer your fears.

Embrace Failure
Study the histories of all great leaders and you'll see lives littered with failures. It's called "failing forward fast." And it's one of the top traits of successful leaders. That's why it takes guts to be a leader. Many people are scared of failure and don't like to tackle the tough issues. (Then again, not everyone wants to be a leader, right.) It requires being decisive and a willingness to take chances. And yes, to FAIL - but to accept it, learn from it and move on.

Become A Believer
Children need to "see it" in order to believe it. Leaders believe it BEFORE they see it. Here's something to try: Try doing what you say you will do. (Remember, the odds are against you).

When faced with problems and obstacles, choose to learn from the experience and turn them into an opportunities. Don't whine and complain about yesterday's defeats. (It's counter-productive and you look like a fool next to Thomas Edison). Key: Until you're able to wipe out the past mistakes from the movie projector that keeps playing in your head, you'll never be able to move forward.

Leaders believe in themselves and believe in abundance.

Take Some Risks
Leaders are the ones willing to make huge sacrifices in time, money and family in order to achieve their goals. Risk is the price you pay for success. You must carry the burden and have the backbone to make decisions that are not popular. Be internally directed, not "socially fit." You'll never achieve wealth and success as long as you care what other people thing of you. Yes, leadership has a price, (risk) but it also offers tremendous rewards.

Don't Follow The Crowd
Here's a crucial defining trait of a leader: they don't follow the crowd. Nothing great was ever accomplished by a crowd. A crowd merely blows with the wind, like scattered leaves. Crowds have no purpose and end up nowhere. It takes courage to go against the crowd and be a true individual, but it's the most exciting, exhilarating thing we can do. It's also the most difficult and frightening. That's why success is so elusive and so rare.

Take Ted Turner of CNN fame, for instance. He said, "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!" Was Turner moving with the herd? No, he was the captain, not one of the deck hands.

Most people live in a state of self-consciousness. They go to work, support their families are active in their communities and are good citizens. Their egos are socially supported which means they go with the flow. Thus, because they are moving with the herd and moving with the group's collective consciousness, they struggle. It's never their goals, their vision or their choices. Most people rarely, if ever, move into the direction of freedom and true self expression.

The leaders are your freedom fighters. These are people like Winston Churchill, Henry Ford, Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Jefferson, Bill Gates. Leaders usually affect thousands of people. Anytime you share your energy with enough other people, BAM, success follows. The problem though is that the notion of prosperity scares many people because they were taught that money is evil, or are afraid of the responsibility that comes with success.

While the world continues to change, the traits of good leaders remain constant. The principles are timeless. Once you learn how to liberate the leader within you, extraordinary things happen.


About The Author
Archie R. Lawhorne is an accomplished writer, author and marketing consultant. To receive his free "Masters Series" 10-day marketing course that explains how to earn over $2,000 per month using a simple home-made post card and 4-page booklet, go to: www.Marketing-Funnel.com

Finding Ways To Save Time And Accomplish More Toward Goals

by: Connie Limon

A definition of time management might be a process of gaining flexibility and cutting back time. The advantage to having a time management plan is that we are loosing something that brings us reward and gaining something that brings us bigger rewards. We end up with a “no loosing” situation if our time management plan is right.

To develop a successful time management plan we must first evaluate our time. We must sit down and ask ourselves how long does it take us to eat? How long does it take us to get dressed and groom for work? How long does it take us to prepare the meals we have to eat? Everything we do takes a certain amount of time. You might start out by writing down just how much time it takes to do each of your very have to tasks each day.

Then sit back and evaluate your list. Are you wasting 10 minutes here and there on those have to items that could be used for something else?

Where our time goes is an essential element to determine for our entire time management plan if we want to begin spending more quality with the most important people of our lives and less wasted time on some routine task. This is the absolute first step of creating your own personalized time management plan, a time management plan that will allow your more time to do the things in life that are most important to you. You must determine where you are wasting time and then decide how to use that time more effectively. Once that time is lost, there is no calling it back.

Another important element of creating a successful time management plan is to be sure and finish tasks before moving onto another task, unless you are at work, in a job that requires doing multiple tasks at one time (multi-tasking). Once you finish one task, move onto the next task and follow in pursuit of finishing all tasks. Once you finish the last task, sit back for a moment in a comfortable position and think of what you accomplished. How much time did it take you to complete task? Don’t forget to be keeping down your start time and end time. Of course this type of listing time of tasks works best for those things you do as routine each day. You want to work on completing the tasks in as little time as possible so you that you have to add in the unexpected tasks of the day or…….much better…….so that you have time to do something you really, really want to do, something that is not routinely required of you to do. For example, like visit on the phone with a favorite friend, your daughter or mother, or whoever, read some in the books you want to complete at some point or another in your lifetime.

A successful time management plan provides us with a source for more flexible schedules. When we have flexibility we have more time for ourselves. Once you have determined your priorities for time usage, then you can start adding tasks that you been putting off because you just don’t have the time to do them.

So….you now need another list of goals and plans of tasks and things you want to do but never have the time to do. One of the best ways of keeping these lists is on your computer where you can quickly erase and add to. But then again, paper in a notebook is also good, perhaps a special book.

Time management is the process of working to succeed. When we work to succeed we reach our goals. We first have to decide what those goals are, of course, and then work toward them using our time management plan. You will probably have to sit down and really ponder on what is needed to reach each goal of set of goals, and of course, decide how much time each step of the way you will need. Some people like to set short term goals, reach that goal and then set a long term goal. It might be a better plan to try and set short and long-term goals in the same time management plan. Whichever way works best for you, however, is what you should do.

Time management is essential since it demands that a person plan, act on those plans and stay focused on those goals with motivation. You must also keep reality in mind, and plan for the things out of your control that could go wrong and therefore steal time from your time management plan. Some examples would be computer failures, family illness, personal illness, inches and inches of snow and ice, horrible sudden tornados and hurricanes. It is always wise to include elements of your time management plan in accordance to what could happen out of your control. You may want to have a plan ahead of time of using your time in some other manner if your computer fails. Catch up on your paper filing or something. Right now for me, I am experiencing an internet outage. I have groomed many more Shih Tzu than the usual today in the time I usually spend answering e-mails and working on my websites.

Time management is working to succeed. If you want to succeed then you must work hard every day to meet your goals. I recently cut down my preparing and eating breakfast time by about ten minutes. Instead of my usual meal, I now mix up a Zone Shake and drink it while doing some other chore like adding to or emptying out the dishwasher, or even while opening up my daily e-mails. In reality here I am using ten extra minutes to work on my goals, rather than preparing and eating a regular breakfast.

About The Author
Connie Limon. Visit us at http://www.selfimprovementbook1.com Self Improvement Book 1 and sign up for our newsletters. Self Improvement Book is a guide to information about self improvement, personal growth and self help tips. It is an organized directory referencing information in other websites on the World Wide Web.

Success Key - How ATTITUDE Plays a Huge Role

by: Phil Barnao

The first step in the road to success lies within the importance of our attitudes. Our Attitudes and thoughts dictate our future for better or worse. The wrong attitude is probably the cause of more failure then any other principle, philosophy or strategy.

So before you think about the secrets that will lead you down the road of prosperity, happiness and wealth, let me say this… You must first cover subject of attitude or face the fact that you will never have what you truly want. On that note; we all must make a choice to either go after the lifestyle we truly desire or remain were we are.

Attitude is a choice. It’s your choice. It is not based upon feelings it’s strictly a mental thing. Attitude is a mental position toward a particular fact, state or situation. Again that means that you have control over it. Sometimes you can’t change a situation, but you have control over how you react to it. We all do and there are no excuses with this.

The fact that you are happy, joyful and excited or sad, depressed and angry is a direct result of the attitude that YOU have chosen to take at that time. It’s not like you have to be in that mood. You really have just chosen to be.

It took me a long time to figure this out for myself that this is the way it really works. But know I can honestly say that it is 100% true. Every time I am in the state of having a bad attitude it’s because I choose to dwell on something that I should not have.

Now obviously there are some things that occur in life that will cause it to be more difficult to control but the key is not to stay there too long.

Here’s why…

"As a man (or person) thinketh in his heart so is he". Basically this means that our thoughts (or attitude) are what determine our future. You have the power to create or destroy your own future based upon your thoughts.

So have a great attitude and think big...

I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty score.

For life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have surely paid.

The bottom line is whether we believe we can or believe we can't, we're right. In order to receive we must first ask and then believe that it's possible. You must believe that you can have an abundance of money, have a great marriage, be the best parent or that you can actually create any lifestyle that you desire.

The truth is..."You are in control of your future the minute you choose to be and you can create absolutely anything you truly desire to and it all starts with attitude."

Attitude

by Chuck Swindoll
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”
Do not allow what other people say or do to dictate your attitude. People will with out even realizing it try and bring you down. You have to fight against it. The statement that misery loves company is more often than not a true statement. It’s not always the person’s fault that they are disrupting you because they are not aware of it, but you need to be so that you can knowingly choose to remain in the right attitude.
A miserable person or even someone who just happens to be in a bad mood (we’re all guilty of this sometimes) will try to identify with you by bringing you into their negative mental state. They don’t purposely do it, it’s just a reflection of their inability to control their attitude at that time.

The Success Scoop is provided to You
by: Phil Barnao
…Author of the explosively powerful
free Success Scoop E-zine… Success Scoop (close new window to get back to this page).

About The Author
Phil Barnao had experienced a youth of bad programming and wrong choices that led him to a life of struggle, disappointment and utter dissatisfaction. In his early twenties by the grace of God he came to a turning point in his life and was then introduced to the industry of personal development.

Phil states that the information he learned completely changed his paradigm and the course of his life forever. “The way that it all went down during that time has left me so thankful and convinced it was a divine encounter.”

Motivated by his change, Phil is determined to empower others towards success and happiness. He holds a passion for assisting others in pursuing their dreams and ambitions. He says “by creating a balanced growth in their life, implementing success strategies and making the relationships anyone can achieve the lifestyle they desire and fulfill their divine purpose in life.”

Phil owns multiple businesses and is a true entrepreneur at heart. He is a student, author, motivator, speaker, coach and minister of personal development and freedom. His company Wealth Creations International (aka… W.C. Group) will empower you towards the character, lifestyle, relationships and finances you want.

The W.C. Group has a FREE newsletter called success scoop that is jam packed with nuggets of valuable life changing information. Phil’s philosophy is to completely over deliver in success scoop and make it the most valuable free e-zine in the industry. You deserve to have it. Go sign up for free right now! http://www.successscoop.com/ (close new window to get back to this page)

Business Failure? Don't Give Up.....

by: Tal Fighel

So you have a burning desire, the right motivation, the right attitude, and the right tools to make money with your business. That is great. But do you have one of the most important tools called the "never give up no matter what" state of mind?

There are plenty of people in the business world both online and offline who will tell you that no matter how successful you are or how well you are doing, there will always be times that your business will take a nose dive or have setbacks.

You have to be ready for this and you must know how to jump from one setback to another with enthusiasm. You will need to be like a ball and bounce back up. Get back on the horse even after you have been knocked off it for many times.

So, if you feel discouraged and you want to quit, you must exercise all or any of the following:

1. If you feel like quitting, step back and give yourself some breathing room. Don't spend too much time on your business through the day. Instead, spend shorter times going through your business (15 minutes each time).

2. When you do feel angry, frustrated, and about to quit, take some nice, deep cleansing breaths. This will relax your mind and body.

3. Exercise is one of the best stress relievers that you should do on a daily basis. Walking, running, dancing, or whatever form of exercise you choose has many benefits for a stress free mind while building your online business. Do this on a regular basis.

4. Instead of spending too much time on your business, turn your attention to other things in your life that make you feel absolutely great. Anything that takes your mind off your business can and will help.

5. Tell yourself that you are a winner. Winners like you never quit, and quitters never win. You are not like them. You have to know that you are a winner no matter what.

6. Don't give up and quit when you feel like it. Success could be just around the corner. Desperation has a way of getting your mental juices flowing and there just may be a solution in that flow.

Now, if you were just one step away from reaching your goal, would you take that step? What a shame it would be to stop making the effort, when just a little bit more would make it all worthwhile.

What a shame it would be to have taken all those steps, only to miss the very last one. The next step you take may very well be the one that makes all the others count. At some point success is just one step away. Keep going and you'll be there.

7. Reading motivational books and listening to tapes can be a great way to stay motivated. It has great powers to inspire people. Everyone does it and you should too.

8. Many successful people online today overcame many obstacles and road bumps along the way. Every time you feel like quitting, think about those people and know that they never quit when things were down for them.

9. Giving up is really NOT an option. Look for other ways to improve your business until you do find what works for you. Learn and see what other successful people do exactly on a daily basis and apply that to yourself and your business.

Copyright (c) 2006 Work-At-Home-Income-Directory.com

About The Author
Tal Fighel is the owner of http://www.work-at-home-income-directory.com/ (close new window to get back to this page). His website is geared for people who are interested in finding an online work at home opportunity or finding the perfect home based business.

How Can I Trust Anyone Again?

How Can I Trust Anyone Again?
by: Kelly Jones

Gail Asked:

I used to live on the streets and was taken advantage of in many ways. Now I am off the streets and doing much better. Trouble is, I don't trust people anymore. I always think they want something from me and consequently I can't get past a superficial relationship.

How do I deal with this? What is wrong with my thinking? I don't live on the streets anymore and don't live around those types of people. I can't make friends with this attitude. I don't want to be a loner all my life. What do you think?

Blushgirl Says:

I think you should be commended and feel proud of yourself for getting off the streets. That took courage and determination and is no small accomplishment. If you can do that, you can do anything you set your mind upon.

There is nothing wrong with your thinking. You are reacting to past experiences and feelings. This is natural. My goodness, how would anyone react after living on the streets? Any one of us would have issues to deal with after an experience like yours.

Like most things in life, trusting people comes with time and experience. There will be some people in this world that will break your trust. This is something you must accept and you probably have a head start on this one. When you encounter someone like this, don’t get discouraged, feel sorry for him or her and move on. That person will never find true happiness until they learn to treat people with respect.

Nobody is born mistrusting other people. You learned to hold back your complete trust the first time, or the second time, or the third time you got hurt for trusting someone who was less than honest with you. The situation you were in, living on the streets, was a terrible and frightening condition. People do things there which they would not normally do just to survive. So the first thing then, is to separate these things in your mind. The world you are in now is not the world you were in on the streets. They are completely different circumstances and you must try to separate them.

While on the streets, you learned that if you didn't trust, you wouldn't be blindsided when a relationship failed. Holding back, saving you the pain, protecting yourself, became very important and in some circumstances, vital. You knew no one could hurt you, really, really, badly, as long as you didn't put your trust in them. You felt secure in knowing no one could ever hurt you badly, as long as you made sure they were kept at a distance.

But the reality is, that was a different time, and a hostile environment that you are no longer a part of. Now, you must escape from it completely, and leave it behind for good. Do not however, try to erase it from your mind. Embrace the experience. Know that if it had to happen to you, maybe there was a reason, some higher calling, and it brought you where you are now.

Now you are safe, and back in the real world. Without placing faith in others, without trusting, even if it may cause you to ultimately get hurt, you'll never experience complete love.

Love and trust are partners; they work together. No matter how many times you may be hurt by people who trample the trust you place in them, you owe it to yourself to bestow the ultimate trust on the next person you choose to befriend. Choose wisely and placing trust will not be so difficult to do.

When there is trust…

1. You know he or she will be there for you no matter what happens.
2. If you start to fall, they will catch you.
3. If you are cold, they will warm you.
4. If you need a hug, their arms will enfold you.
5. If you need a soft word, theirs is the one you will hear.
6. If you need a laugh, they have a joke.
7. No matter what you need, you know they will be there, and they know the same about you.

I know it is hard to trust sometimes, but it is well worth the potential hurt, and yes, there may be some hurt. Trusting takes two and all you can ever do is hold up your side and trust the other person enough to do the same.

So how do you trust people? The bottom line is, trust is a decision. You must decide to let go of your fears and doubts, and trust other people. Henry Stimson once said, "The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust."

All things in life start with a decision. Once you decide to start trusting, it will get easier. Each time you trust another person, you will feel rewarded and warm inside. When someone breaks that trust, know in your heart that you did the right thing by giving that person the benefit of the doubt. We can’t control what others will do, but we can control how we react to it.

When you start thinking about those negative memories of the past, do something to change your focus, no matter what that might be. For me, I simply think of a memory, real or imagined that makes me smile. Try anything to jolt your mind off the bad images. Then fill your mind with pleasant thoughts and images, and before long, all the “bad stuff” will start to fade, but yes, it takes time. You will never forget it, but it won’t affect you like it does now. It will just pass away like a faded memory. I want to recommend you look into a technique called EFT. It is easy to do, and is free to learn. Go to this website to learn more: http://www.emofree.com/a/?2209/1

Do these things and I know you will see positive things begin to happen. But more importantly, know in your heart, that you are a greater person, because of what happened to you. Now the only question remains: will it defeat you, or will it make you stronger? Since you are questioning it, and reaching out to others for advice, I know it has already made you stronger. Remember, to trust is only a decision; to be free will be the result. - Kelly

About The Author
Kelly Jones, better known as blushgirl has been in the online dating scene since 1996. Her experience in the field helps her answer questions on romance and relationships for her site visitors, and allows her to meticulously review dating and matchmaking sites. If you would like to reach Kelly, please visit her at: Blush Personals.