Women Entrepreneurs; Example not Exception

12 Daily Habits of Exceptionally Successful People

Truly successful people understand that success in life includes many factors. There's success in financial and career goals, sure, but also success in relationships, avocations, spirituality, legacy, and even success simply finding enjoyment.

Here are 12 things that truly successful people do every single day--because they realize that, like excellence, achieving success is not an act but a habit...
 

1. They give themselves a break.

True success is a long-term game. We all have good days and not-so-good ones. So when the truly successful fall short (as we all do in some ways, every day), these kinds of people don't get too down about it. They take pride in the fact that they're only human, and remember that tomorrow will be here soon enough. 

2. They ask questions--and listen to the answers.

Did you hear the one about the person who achieved great success by himself? (No, you didn't--because it never happens that way.) Truly successful people understand that there's always somebody more knowledgeable or experienced than they are, and they seek out his or her counsel, advice, and wisdom. Added bonus: They pay attention to the answers.

3. They find something to laugh about.

They don't have to be comedians, but truly successful people understand that life is beautiful--and as it happens, hilarious. As a wise man once said, "Life's too mysterious; don't take it serious."

4. They seek out new things to learn.

Truly successful people understand that the second they stop learning, they'll stop growing and being successful. More than that, however, they seek out knowledge and the opportunity to learn new things for its own sake.

5. They look for opportunities to give without expectation.

Part of true success is about having positive, rewarding relationships; another part is about contributing to the world and leaving a legacy. Both of these goals are elevated by actively looking for chances to help other people. Successful people understand that the rewards they ultimately receive are usually greater than what they've given--although that's truly not their motivation.

6. They seek out chances to express gratitude.

People generally like to be acknowledged and thanked for their contributions. The truly successful among us understand this--and they make an effort to let others know they are appreciated.

7. They screw up and acknowledge it.

This is related to simply giving themselves a break. Truly successful people understand that the road to success is normally littered with failures. Nobody likes coming up short, but the most successful people among us own their mistakes, and move forward.

8. They see things from other people's perspectives.

Empathy is the lifeblood of great relationships. Truly successful people understand that to get along with others, you must work to understand their perspectives. 

9. They forgive--and mostly forget.

Life is too short to hold grudges. Successful people recognize a simple equation: Time spent on being angry about the past equals time you can't spend focused on the present--or the future. 

10. They add to their plate.

Bring it on, truly successful people say--new life challenges, new experiences, new opportunities for growth. 

11. They give up on some things.

Adding new things to your life often means less time available for other things. Successful people know this, and they make the tough calls to cut the fat, to make room for the newer ones.

12. They spend time with the people they care about.

You can achieve a lot in life--and yet miss out on what living is really all about. Hint: The answers will come to you from your interactions with the people you love.





Source: http://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/12-daily-habits-of-exceptionally-successful-people.html?utm_content=buffer91910&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
 

How to Speak so that People Want to Listen

12 Things Successful People Do Before Breakfast

The “Golden Hour” 

Successful people often talk about the “Golden Hour”, which is the first hour after you wake up in the morning. 

According to this article from the National Institutes of Health, while we are asleep, our brains are hard at work de-cluttering and detoxifying themselves. This means that our brains are at their best right after we wake up, when they’re squeaky-clean from the night’s mental hygiene activities. 

Successful people have discovered that the “Golden Hour” is the best time of day to prepare ourselves mentally, physically and spiritually for the upcoming day.

So, here are 12 things successful people do before breakfast (culled from Brian Tracy’s 21-Day Mental Diet)...

1. Wake up early – Most top executives get up in the morning at 6:00 AM — at the latest! I get up around 5:00 AM most days.

2. Exercise –  While Brian Tracy suggests doing any physical exercise before mental exercise, I usually have to wait until later in the day to do any physical exercise because of schedule limitations.

3. Read motivational, inspirational or educational material for 30-60 minutes. Personally, I love the Abraham-Hicks material, which really gets my mind and spirit soaring for the day. Other favorites include the books by Wallace D. Wattles, (The Science of Getting Rich) or any of the other New Thought authors. There is a tremendous wealth of free reading material available in the public domain. If you like audio books, look to librivox.org, or for visual reading, check out http://newthoughtlibrary.com/

4. Write down your top 10-15 life goals. There is tremendous power in the act of writing, so yes, actually get out a pen and a notebook (What are those?) and physically write these down. Really. Just thinking about it doesn’t cut it. Use first-person, present-tense language: “I am making ___ dollars a year; I weigh ___ pounds; I drive a ___ car, I have ___ friends”, and so on. And don’t look back at your goals from the day before. By the way, this is a LOT of fun!

5. Write down everything you need to do that day. Again, yes, use a real pen and a notebook. Seriously. Organize this list according to priority, starting with the one thing you most want to get done that day.

6. Begin immediately to work on the biggest, most important task of the day. If you can finish this project while your mind is still fresh, it won’t loom over you and worry you for the rest of the day.

Throughout the day, but not necessarily before breakfast:

• Listen to educational audio programs while driving
• Pick up the pace between activities

Other Things That Successful People Do Before Breakfast

These are practices that aren’t part of Brian Tracy’s 21-Day Mental Diet, but are part of the morning routine of many successful people:

7. Write down things they’re grateful for. This is a favorite of mine. Two years ago, I started writing a “Daily Ten” of things that I was thankful for, liked, made me smile and so on.

8. Meditate. Another personal favorite, and if I can’t squeeze it in before breakfast, I do my best to fit it in another time during the day.

9. Work on a personal passion project. It is very easy to let what we love slip to the last item on our priority list, where it gets put off…and put off…and put off. I know — I never seem to get around to practicing violin!

10. Spend quality time with family/connect with spouses. My husband and I usually sit and talk over our plans for the day over morning coffee while we’re petting the dogs.

11. Network with coworkers, clients, or friends over coffee.  Early morning or breakfast meetings tend to be more productive in the mornings–because guess what? Everyone else’s brain is clearer, too!

12. Read the news. Find out the problems in the world so that we can figure out ways to solve them!

Do you know other things successful people do before breakfast? Please share in the comments section.




Source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/12-things-you-didnt-know-successful-people-before-breakfast.html

23 Incredibly Successful People Who Failed At First

Rejection can feel devastating, but you shouldn't let it crush you. 

 

Some of the world's most successful people have failed - sometimes more than once.

We've put together a list of highly successful people, from movie stars to scientists, who experienced massive failure before they found fame and fortune.

Weaker people might have given up. Instead, these folks remained focused on their goals. 

Winston Churchill was estranged from his political party over ideological disagreements during the "wilderness years" of 1929 to 1939.

At the outbreak of World War II on Sep. 3, 1939, Churchill was appointed to the British Admiralty, thus ending his "exile." The next year, he was elected prime minister at the age of 62.

Thomas Edison's teachers told him he was "too stupid to learn anything."

 

Edison went on to hold more than 1,000 patents and invented some world-changing devices, like the phonograph, practical electrical lamp, and a movie camera.

 

Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first television job as an anchor in Baltimore, where she said she faced sexism and harassment.

But Winfrey rebounded and became the undisputed queen of television talk shows before amassing a media empire. Today she is worth an estimated $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."

Several more of his businesses failed before the premiere of his movie "Snow White." Today, most childhoods wouldn't be the same without his ideas.

 

Steven Spielberg was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts multiple times.

He went on to create the first summer blockbuster with "Jaws" in 1975, and has won three Academy Awards.

 

 

R.H. Macy had a series of failed retail ventures throughout his early career.

But at the age of 36, Macy launched R.H. Macy & Co., which grew to become Macy's, one of the largest department store chains in the world.

 

Soichiro Honda's unique vision got him ostracized by the Japanese business community.

Honda was a mechanical genius who idolized Edison and rebelled against the norm. His passion for aggressive individualism was more fit for the United States, and thus alienated him from Japanese businessmen, who valued teamwork above all else. Honda then boldly challenged the American automotive industry in the 1970s and led a Japanese automotive revolution.

Colonel Harland David Sanders was fired from dozens of jobs before founding a successful restaurant.

He traveled across the U.S. looking for someone to sell his fried chicken, and after finally getting a business deal in Utah, Kentucky Fried Chicken was born. KFC is now one of the most recognizable franchises in the world, with over 18,000 locations.

After having trouble adjusting to the culture and his classes, Dick Cheney dropped out of Yale — and then returned, only to drop out for good.

George W. Bush once joked: "So now we know if you graduate from Yale, you become president. If you drop out, you get to be vice president."

 

Sir Isaac Newton's mother pulled him out of school as a boy so that he could run the family farm. He failed miserably.

Realizing her son was not meant to till the land, she let Newton finish his basic education and was eventually persuaded to allow him to enroll in Cambridge University. Newton went on to become one of the greatest scientists of all time, revolutionizing physics and mathematics.

Vera Wang failed to make the U.S. Olympic figure-skating team. Then she became an editor at Vogue and was passed over for the editor-in-chief position.

She began designing wedding gowns at age 40 and today is one of the premier designers in the fashion industry, with a business worth over $1 billion.

 

When Sidney Poitier first auditioned for the American Negro Theatre, he flubbed his lines and spoke in a heavy Caribbean accent, which made the director angrily tell him to stop wasting his time.

Poitier worked on his craft and eventually became a hugely successful Hollywood star. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor and helped break down the color barrier in the American film industry. 

 

As a child, Albert Einstein had some difficulty communicating and learning in a traditional manner.

Of course, Einstein's communication and behavioral problems were not indicative of a lack of intelligence. He won the Nobel prize in physics for the discovery of the photoelectric effect, and his special theory of relativity theory corrected the deficiencies of Newtonian physics.

In one of Fred Astaire's first screen tests, an executive wrote: "Can't sing. Can't act. Slightly balding. Can dance a little."

Astaire went on to become a Hollywood and Broadway legend.

 

 

J.K. Rowling was a single mom living off welfare when she began writing the first "Harry Potter" novel.

Rowling is now internationally renowned for her seven-book Harry Potter series and, in U.S. currency, became the first billionaire author in 2004.

 

Charles Darwin was considered an average student. He gave up on a career in medicine and was going to school to become a parson.

But as Darwin studied nature, he found his true calling and traveled the world to uncover nature's mysteries. His writings, especially "On the Origin of the Species," fundamentally changed the world of science by spreading the discovery of evolution.

Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting, "The Red Vineyard," in his life, and the sale was just months before his death.

If he had given up his artistic career after it proved to strain his financial and emotional well-being, the art world would be missing hundreds of paintings from a true master.

 

After Harrison Ford's first small movie role, an executive took him into his office and told him he'd never succeed in the movie business.

Ford's career went on to span six decades, and has included timeless starring roles in blockbuster films like the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" series.

 

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, had his first book rejected by 27 different publishers.

Dr. Seuss became a legendary children's author known around the world for classics like "The Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham." His books have sold over 600 million copies.

 

Lucille Ball appeared in so many second-tier films at the start of her career that she became known as "The Queen of B Movies."

Then she got her big break when CBS picked up her and her husband Desi Arnaz's vaudeville act and turned it into the highly influential sitcom "I Love Lucy."

 A young Henry Ford ruined his reputation with a couple of failed automobile businesses.

However, after conducting a search, he was finally able to find a partner who had faith in him. Ford proved he had learned from his mistakes when Ford Motor Company forever changed the automotive industry and culture with his assembly line mode of production. 

While developing his vacuum, Sir James Dyson went through 5,126 failed prototypes and his savings over 15 years.

But the 5,127th prototype worked, and the Dyson brand became the best-selling bagless vacuum brand in the United States. He is now worth an estimated $4.5 billion, according to Forbes.

Stephen King grew so frustrated over his attempt to write the novel "Carrie" that he threw away the entire early draft.

King's wife Tabitha found the manuscript in the trash and took it out. "Carrie" became a hit and launched his career. His novels have since sold over 350 million copies.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-failed-at-first-2014-3?op=1&IR=T

6 Questions You Must Answer 'Yes' to Before Becoming an Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship has recently become a sexy and trendy topic. The media glorifies the startup unicorns that hit big, and TV shows like Shark Tank have introduced the entire world to entrepreneurs, leaving many people asking themselves, “Can I be one?”

While entrepreneurship can be rewarding on many levels, it requires a certain type of person to excel, whether he or she is venturing into this world straight out of school or transitioning out of a 9-to-5 career. There are so many questions to ask yourself before making the move -- and a lot of these questions relate to specific circumstances. But here are six things you most definitely have to answer "yes" to. 

1. Can you afford to take the risk, financially?

An entrepreneur fresh out of school with few to no financial obligations has less of a financial risk than someone with a family, a mortgage, multiple car loans and all the other standard monthly bills families have. 

You need to understand the big financial risk associated with starting a business. Your idea may flop, you may be unable to pay yourself for a long period of time and there is always the possibility of losing it all.

If you already have a stack of financial obligations, start your business on the side. That scenario may not be ideal, but it’s still possible to find success this way. If you don’t have those obligations, and you fully believe in your idea, then go all-in. 

2. Do you have a strong support system in place?

If you decide to start a business, the road is going to be filled with bumps and intersections, each with multiple options; you will have questions, lots of them. It’s important to surround yourself with a support system that will be there to help you solve problems, seek answers and be available when you just need to vent.

Having family, friends, mentors and industry connections to turn to will greatly increase the odds of your business being successful. The moral support alone is priceless. Keep the doubters away. They are toxic and need to be avoided if you desire success.

3. If you keep getting knocked down (and you will), are you going to keep getting back up for more?

You are going to get knocked down -- most likely several times. There is also the possibility of making a wrong decision that causes you to fall flat on your face. If you are expecting to hit a home run the first time you go up to bat, you may as well not even play this game. You’re going to strike out. You’re going to become frustrated.

What differentiates the entrepreneurs that quit from the ones that go on to experience success is the latter group's tenacity -- their willingness to keep taking devastating punches and their willingness to keep getting back up for more.

My favorite example is James Dyson, founder and designer of a highly successful vacuum cleaner. Dyson's first 5,126 prototypes were failures, but the 5,127th one went on to become the top-selling vacuum in the United States. He wouldn’t be worth $4.5 billion right now if he had stopped getting up after being knocked down more than 5,000 times.

4. Can you remain motivated, even without personal luxuries and conveniences?

Mark Cuban often talks about his early beginnings, when he was eating mustard and ketchup sandwiches and sleeping on the floor of a three-bedroom apartment he shared with five friends. Put yourself in that situation. Could you remain 100 percent motivated while sleeping on the floor and eating mac and cheese or Ramen noodles?

If not, entrepreneurship may not be for you. It’s often the personal sacrifices that make the biggest difference. Would you sell your car and take public transportation to your office if that meant being able to invest more money into your business? Would you sell your house and move into a small apartment if that meant being able to grow your business faster?

If you want it badly enough, you will do whatever it takes, while remaining laser focused and motivated. 

5. Do you understand that your work/life balance will be extremely unbalanced in the beginning?

Most of your time will need to be allocated to your business in the beginning. You will see your friends and family less and miss out on a lot of the little things you used to do -- like getting together for beers after work on a Friday and taking weekend trips. Instead, you'll have long nights at the office and work-filled weekends.

You have to be willing to put in the time and effort in the beginning. When you start a business, everything is on your shoulders. It’s an enormous amount of pressure that some can’t handle. Over time you will be able to create a healthier work/life balance, but understand that it will be very unbalanced in the early years. It’s just recently that I’ve started to get away from my marketing agency 100 percent on the weekends, to devote that time to myself, my family and friends.

6. Can you envision your success?

Believe you can and you're halfway there. -- Theodore Roosevelt
That's one of my favorite quotes about envisioning success. If you can’t envision success, then you aren’t ready. You need to see it, and see it clearly. You need to wake up envisioning your success.

You need to have that picture engraved in your head. You need to dream about it when you go to sleep.

What are some other questions an aspiring entrepreneur must answer "yes" to? Visit the comments section to participate.




Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251050