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  • John Fischer

    John is an entrepreneur, speaker and business consultant. He has read over 200 books on the topics of personal development, psychology, success, and business. He has also listened to and studied over 3,000 hours of audios on those same topics. John has a passion for empowering people and helping them to reach their fullest potential.
How To Take Control Of Your Life
Mindset

How To Take Control Of Your Life

It’s one thing to go through life and just live reactively. It’s another thing to go through life taking control of all circumstances. This, in my opinion, is one of the absolute greatest separators when it comes to those who are successful and everyone else. Study any great achiever, and you will discover that they did not play the role of victim regardless of their situation. They took ownership of their life and made their success out of it. You can live your life by playing it safe and cutting back, or you can go all in, take some risks, and grow as a person. My question to you is: up to this point in your life, where have you been living? Have you lived defensively or offensively? Playing It Safe Look around you. If I had to guess, I would say about 90% of the population lives life this way. The risk of loss seems too significant, so they make choices that seem reliable and safe. You evaluate your decisions compared to your neighbors and think “well, I guess things aren’t that bad. After all, Bob is in the same situation as me, but I'm actually doing a big better than him.” So you make the decision to take it easy, live in comfort, and just do as everybody else does. Is this the way you want to live? For some of you, it might be. But I find it hard to believe if you’re reading this article that you want to live an average life. If you live your life defensively and just react to whatever the world throws at you, then that’s pretty much what 90% of people do, which is pretty average. There is no pursuit, no purpose. There is no fulfillment. Life then has to be filled with mindless apps or various forms of entertainment that distract you from reality. We live in a world where people are more concerned with their favorite NFL team than they are about their financial situation or how fulfilled they are with their lives. Personally, I’m not ok with this. Are you? I hope I’m not offending anyone. That is not what I want to do. I want to help you win! I want to help you live a life that you will be proud of. One that you will look back on and say “I lived an amazing life!” Be In Control So maybe you have lived life playing it safe up to this point? That’s ok. It's now time to push towards your limits, it's the only way you will grow as a person. Here is what I suggest; run straight towards it! Do not allow yourself to continue to make excuses. Take responsibility for your life no matter what happens. If you want to take control of your situation then you must take ownership of everything that has happened up to this point. The good and the bad. Stop blaming others for what is wrong in your life. I know that can be tough depending on what you are going through but it is crucial to do it. If you give ownership of the situation to someone or something else, you have to wait for them to release you from the challenge before you are ever able to move on. You have to move past it by your own will. So my advice to you is run straight at your challenges and just accept them as they are. Take responsibility for them and decide you can win and that you WILL win. You will then figure it out. Every day of your life you should take ownership; be dominant and take control of your life and your future!

3 Ways To Create Better Connections With People
Friends

3 Ways To Create Better Connections With People

If you desire to advance your career, grow your business, or have more fulfilling relationships with friends and family it is going to require you to become better at building connections. Merely communicating is not sufficient.In this day and age, we're constantly bombarded with messages everywhere we look. Someone wants you to do this, buy that, or look at this. We're pulled in so many different directions. Developing a genuine connection with others will set you apart from the rest as you pursue success. Connecting is the ability to identify with others and relate to them. Communication differs from this because we are all sending and receiving messages, but that does not mean we are connecting with others.Here Are 3 Ways To Create Better Connections With People1. Have A Genuine Interest In OthersMost of the time, people who develop the best connections are those who care the most about others. In the past, I've had professors that did not seem to care about us as students, they were only there to do their job and to just collect their paycheck. It felt as if they were distant, cold, and only concerned with themselves. One time, I had a teacher give a class with his back to us the whole time. He just wrote away on his whiteboard and talked to the wall. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We as students immediately lost trust and respect for this professor without even thinking twice about it. I truly believe this was because he was only there to do his job and expected us to just give him attention. Should we have still done this? Absolutely! But compared to other professors that actually cared about creating an environment conducive to learning, you can’t really blame the students. As a leader you cannot expect respect to be given, it is earned, and it is earned through first displaying a genuine interest in others which leads to developing a connection.2. Start With WhyAs someone who is looking to develop connections with others, you must first lay the groundwork in which you want to connect with. Take a skyscraper for example. Before they ever start to build this massive structure they first dig into the ground and develop a solid foundation in which they can build upon.Establishing a connection with others is no different. Before you can start to connect with people on what you actually want, you must first make your intentions clear. People will see it as more genuine. For example, if my professor would have said: "Class, you are all adults. I am not here to babysit you, I am here to educate and empower you instead. Therefore, my teaching style is different; I will mostly be writing on the board, but this is to teach you to listen and pay attention to what I am saying. I want to prepare you for life after college, and life won’t always give to your needs. I am here to help you and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.” Can you see how this simple statement to begin class would have created trust and an understanding among us? Even if we were to disagree with his methods, at least we would've shown respect and some of us might've tried to listen to the course the way the teacher intended it.3. Ask QuestionsTo be an excellent connector you must master the art of putting the attention on others. This can be done by simply being good at asking questions. If connecting is building a bridge from me to you then questions are the roads we build to achieve that. By asking questions you make people feel more comfortable being around you. Give people a chance to share more about themselves and they will love you for it. When you ask questions, you are discovering someone else's values. People will share with you what is important to them in their life and why they do what they do. Having a connection with someone is being able to identify and relate with others. If this is so, you should get an idea of where that person currently is in life by asking questions.Hopefully, this article will help get you started in your quest to become better at building genuine connections with others. There is a fabulous book written by John Maxwell called “Everybody Communicates, Few Connect.” I highly recommend this book to everyone no matter what your profession is. It's a life long journey and one that is an exciting one! To continue to dive deeper and deeper into a relationship and build upon your connection is one of the most fulfilling experiences you can have. So have fun with this and always continue to connect with people each day!

How To Keep Yourself Focused On Your Goals
Self-Development

How To Keep Yourself Focused On Your Goals

Early in my career, I heard a quote that went like this: "Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game." Ouch! That statement used to irritate me because it was so true! Working as a consultant has given me insights as to why people fail to reach their goals. I have worked with over 200 individuals seeking a better life and what I found is that a person's mindset is a more important determinant of if they will achieve their goals than the circumstances they might find themselves in. When we go through a tough time, we tend to put our focus on our problems instead of concentrating on the solutions. We focus on all the reasons why we can’t do something. The word for that is an excuse. When the going gets hard and we are looking for a way out, any justification will work to derail us from our main goals, any reason is good enough to give us permission not to succeed. What we need to do in these situations is shift our mindset towards our own abilities to change the current situation. The statement that I mentioned above forces you to think about removing these excuses. It forces you to be a critical thinker and ask questions that will solve your current situation: "Even though I am going through these things in my life, what do I need to do to still make it?" That’s the power behind a statement like that. What It Takes If you've never achieved anything truly great in life up to this point then you do not know what it takes to achieve something truly great. Read that again, it's not just a cute little saying. What I mean is that anything in life worth accomplishing WILL inevitably take a lot of work and sacrifice, and will require you to change who you currently are, to become the person you need to be. If you have never had to put yourself through these circumstances in order to achieve anything of significance then the natural tendency is to run away from the discomfort and pain that come from these situations. Making excuse as to why you cannot do something creates a comfort within you. If you have ever felt this way, if you've had moments in your life where you had to ask yourself if it's worth it, my question to you then is exactly that: "Is it worth it to you?" I cannot answer that question for you, only you are able to. But you have to answer this question honestly. If you were not going through hard times, would you quit working on this goal? When we make decisions based on short-term circumstances, we rob ourselves from our long term results. Once you determine that what you are doing is part of your life-long goal, then you MUST make it happen! It shouldn't just be something that would be nice to do. If that is the mindset you have then you will certainly give up when things get tough. Just because you do not see your results right away does not mean they're not on their way. You must not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season you will reap a harvest! Keep your goals right in front of you. Write them down on an index card and keep it in your pocket. Tell your family and friends about your pursuits and ask for their encouragement and support. Post pictures on your fridge and on your walls. Become so fanatical about your future that it is all you think about. If you keep the main thing the main thing, then no excuse will be enough to sway you from your vision. The main thing is up to you to decide. What is the one thing you want to achieve in this world more than anything? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it? Bring yourself to a point so that when you ask yourself if it is worth it there is not a moment of hesitation in your mind, you answer is: "ABSOLUTELY IT IS!" Take the time to figure that out then go out there and make it happen!

Why Am I Not Where I Want To Be?
Self-Development

Why Am I Not Where I Want To Be?

Have you ever had moments in your life where you didn’t feel like you were being true to yourself? As if there was a wall that you couldn't climb? On one side is who you really should be; your personality, sense of humor, ambition, and self-belief. On the other side is where you stand now, knowing you aren’t living to your fullest potential. You feel defeated, unworthy, and unfulfilled. You get those moments where you look back at your life and tell yourself: "I wish I would have done this" or "I should have said that". Yet you keep doing the same things over and over and they keep leading you to where you are right now. Where does it start? When I was younger I never exceeded in school. I usually did just enough to make it by with Cs and a couple Bs. I always knew, in my gut, that I was capable of more, but I never put my best foot forward in my academic career, so I struggled with low self-esteem. I had low expectations of who I was and what I was capable of. At the time, I didn’t recognize the fact that I simply wasn’t working hard enough, that is something I realized later on when I reflected on my youth. But I would tell myself I wasn’t smart enough or this is just the best you can do. Since I knew I was capable of more, my pride made me be a pretender in who I really was. I acted like I did better in school than I really was and most of the times I faked my way through homework assignments and class participation activities. On the outside everything looked good but inside I knew I was being a fake. It was painful to live this way but I didn't know what to do. I didn’t recognize the fact that I simply wasn’t working hard enough. I would tell myself I wasn’t smart enough or that this was the best I could do. I knew I was capable of more, so I started to pretend to be someone I wasn't. I acted like I had good grades and I would fake my way through homework assignments and class participation activities. If I could go back in time and have a conversation with myself, I would instead ask myself: “Let’s look at the facts. How much time did you study this week? How much homework did you actually do? How engaged were you in your classes?" I would've then realized that I was not even trying. I would've come to realize that I was smart enough, I just didn't put in the effort that was needed to be the best I could be. We grow up in a society that tells us that putting too much effort into something is bad. If you take too much time in answering a math question, it must mean that you're just not good at math. If it takes you twice as long to finish your homework it means that you are slow and that you probably won't excel in school. Even if you don't think that in the beginning, others will make you feel inferior until you eventually believe it to be true. But the reality is that most of the students that got A grades were working hard for it. They studied more, they took their time when doing their homework and they asked questions when they didn't understand something. Seeing these students ace an exam, I was just looking at the tip of the iceberg. A call to change In order to achieve something you never have you are going to be required to do something you never have. Change can be difficult for most people. We fear change because of the unknown. We ask ourselves if we are truly capable of doing what is required and then doubt that we can. If I had the chance to sit across a table from you, I would tell you that you are capable of achieving your goals. I know because it happened to me. Starting my own business at 20 years old was a bold move, but if I wanted the life I always dreamed of then it was necessary that I did this. I would've never achieved the level of success I have today if it wasn’t for my mentors. They took me under their wing and believed in me. They weren’t just saying they believed in me. They genuinely cared and pointed out to me my strengths and areas that I could really work on. Because of this, I started to learn who I really was and stopped pretending to be someone else. They asked me challenging questions like “Why don’t you think you are capable of living a successful life?” I had never faced this question head on. What I told them sounded just like the lies I told myself when I was younger and in school. None of what I said was a legitimate reason of course. It was all made up of things I just convinced myself to believe. This is where I started to understand who I truly was. Find yourself If you go through life lying to yourself and making it seem like you are something you are not then you are only hurting yourself because deep down inside you know something isn’t right. When you say or do something that doesn’t align with who you are at the core you should recognize that immediately. You have to take the time to reflect on who you TRULY are. Not the person you made yourself out to be. But behind all the walls you put up, who are you really? What are your values? What do you stand for? What do you believe in? Seek a mentor. Find someone who has the life you want to have and ask them to mentor you. Having a mentor is indispensable! Once you identify who you really are, you become free. Free of the self-imposed limits. Free from the opinions of others. You simply live your life on purpose each day. You start to actually grow as a person and progress towards the person you want to become. You start to attract all the components necessary to achieve your dreams. This life can be so rewarding. I encourage you to pursue it with passion and discover who you truly are! Want to dive deeper into this topic? This video helped me out a ton! "Change Your Beliefs, Change Your Life" by author, keynote speaker, advisor, and former publisher of SUCCESS magazine, Darren Hardy:

3 Ways to Cultivate an Environment For Success
Career Growth

3 Ways to Cultivate an Environment For Success

I once heard a wise man say that success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal or dream. Based on that definition, we can say that success is the accumulation of decisions which help you have a firm grasp on your desired life. This is one of the greatest secrets of the achiever. Most people see success as an "overnight" achievement. It appears this way when you watch an athlete suddenly become famous or a TV star that has a breakthrough role that makes him/her instantly popular. Most people intuitively understand that these achievers did not get there overnight; that these people put in the time and effort that it takes to get to the point where they could suddenly be recognized. But then why do the majority of people go through their life without constantly working towards their dreams? I believe it is because people live a life of doubt. They do not believe in the power that they have in making decisions, that seem small now, but when added over time, can produce massive success. You must always focus your attention on ways you can progress towards your dreams. Success Requires Focus Before you can start making the decisions that will bring you close to your goals, you must create an environment in which you can thrive. If you’re reading this article, you may need to take some time to reevaluate your current surroundings. I want you to live an abundant and prosperous life, however, you define that for yourself. For you to live that life, you must reinforce your environment with tools that are conducive to success. Start with these three ideas and do your best to continue to stack the odds in your favor. How to Cultivate an Environment for Success: 1- Create a Morning Routine Let’s start with your morning routine. What is the first thing you focus on when you wake up? If you’re like most people, you go and check your phone. You check to see how many texts and emails you missed. You scroll through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. If you are happy with your life and don’t want anything to change, then continue to do that. But if you are like me and want way more from your life than you're currently getting, you're going to need to become more than you currently are. One way to become more is to create the habit of writing your goals out on paper every morning so that it can be the first thing you see before you start your day. Every success book I have ever read suggests doing this. There is power in taking the action to write out your goals physically and also to see it on paper with your eyes. Start implementing this in your morning routine and take the time to think about what it would feel like when you do achieve that goal. Tip: I had been checking my phone when I first woke up for so long that I almost did it unconsciously. How I stopped doing this was that before I went to bed, I would place a picture of my wife from a vacation we had taken on top of my phone. Instead of first feeling my phone I felt that picture and it reminded me of my purpose to give my wife and my family the life they truly deserve which helped remind me to start with my goals first. Find something that motivates you and put it on top of your phone so it is the first thing you think about. 2 - Clear the Clutter Focus requires clarity. For you to have clarity, you must remove all of the clutter and the confusion from your life. This could mean mentally as well but for the sake of this article let us concentrate our efforts towards your work environment. You need to establish your workplace in a way that it can be systemized. What do I mean by systemized? This is the ability to organize your work in such a way that you can operate at your desk mechanically without having to think or second guess. Take the time to arrange your workplace so that you know where everything is and you stop putting everything into piles. When you are working, you should have no second thoughts as to what goes where. By systemizing your work, you will be able to focus on the most important points. If you want to be a true achiever and accomplish your dreams, you must be more productive; your time is too valuable to waste on trying to determine where to put something or where you may have lost something. 3 - Visualize your Dream You must immerse your mind with the image of your dream life. Whatever it is that you want most, find pictures of this and print them out. Put these pictures all over the walls and doors of your home or office. My entire house is filled with pictures of things that keep me motivated and inspired. Some of you may be thinking that is too silly to do, or you just don’t feel like taking the time to do this. Let me ask you this; how dedicated are you to achieving your dream if you're not even willing to put pictures of it all over your house? Remember you aren’t just looking at pictures for fun, this is the life that you want for yourself. These pictures are showing you your future and what you will have. Be creative and make it fun! Have your significant other or your kids be involved also. There is nothing more exciting than being in agreement over your dreams and goals with the ones you love the most! Remember, success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal or dream. So start with these steps and you will already be well on the path to success.

How to Seize the Moment
Self-Development

How to Seize the Moment

Has this happened to you as often as it has for me? You've spent a great deal of time preparing, studying, and believing in the opportunity that will get you closer to your dreams, but when that moment actually comes, you don't seize it. You are then kicking yourself asking yourself why you didn’t do what you were supposed to. This was my life for a long time. It was almost as if I was having an out of body experience while it happened. I knew exactly what I had to do and why I had to do it, but yet I wouldn't take full advantage of my opportunities. You may have had similar situations whether you're an athlete, a business professional or a student. You see, we all have this voice within our head that tries to guide us, but often we doubt that voice because we don’t believe in our own power. Instead of acting out of instinct and doing what we feel is best, we hold ourselves back because we worry; what happens if I say the wrong thing or what happens if I do this, and it turns out badly? I've been there plenty of times. I'm the kind of person that plans everything in my head before it even happens. I want everything to go perfectly. But how is that even possible? How can you enjoy your life if you are constantly thinking of your next step. Don’t get me wrong, you should visualize and plan your goals beforehand, but you should also learn to just live in the moment. I've ended up missing out on a lot of moments that I could have been, because I worried too much about what others would say or what they would think of me. This is no way to live so I made a decision that I would not live this way any longer. Embrace the Process I knew that if I was going to pursue my dreams, that I would have to go through a lot of ups and downs. I decided to embrace the process and make every situation the best I could. Some of these moments have been the best memories I've had in my life. While others left me with a learning experience. The more pressure you feel the more you allow yourself to respond based on instinct. Whenever I was the most comfortable was when I did not allow myself to push through that proverbial wall. The size of your dream determines the amount of pressure you must face. Pressure is not a bad thing, this can be a very good thing. Pressure is something that forces you to be in a position where you must give it your best. I still remember the day I was lead my first business meeting. I was 21 years old then and I had to give a talk about productivity in the workplace in front of an entire room of 250 people. One thing you should know about me, I've never wanted to be the center of attention. In fact, I would be perfectly fine just sitting in a meeting, taking notes, and learning from others. But do you know where that gets you? Nowhere. To be a leader, you must step out from the crowd and do things that make you uncomfortable. So as I began to take more leadership positions, I had the opportunity to lead this meeting, and I felt excited about the experience. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I was afraid of stumbling my words and embarrassing myself. But then something happened, as I got up there and started to get things going, I began to live in the moment as I had never done before. I've heard people refer to this experience as being in “the zone”. I didn’t even need to refer to my notes or try to plan out what I was going to say next. It all came naturally. I simply felt engaged in what I was doing and did not have a single thought of doubt. I truly believe this was because I had 500 eyeballs on me and there was no time for me to doubt. These people were counting on me to deliver them a message that would empower them, and I simply could not spend any mental energy worrying about myself. What Should You Do? I cannot answer this question for you. Your situation is different than mine. Your story is unique, and that's the beauty of it. You have a path that you must take, and I don't know what that path is. I do know something about you, though. I know that you have a dream that you care deeply about, which is why you are reading this. And that only you know what that unique path to reaching your dream is. Too many of us try to find our “why” by looking in the wrong place. We watch motivational videos online and search for our inspiration by looking outside of ourselves. "Are you saying I should stop watching these videos?" Not at all. What I’m saying is you must look within yourself to find your true inspiration. So why are you are reading this? Whatever it is that just came to your mind, that is what you should pursue. It may not be a burning desire yet, but it is a start. Now learn how to cultivate that desire into something you MUST have and start to put yourself in a position which creates pressure towards excelling towards that dream. I can tell from my own experience that it is much more rewarding to conquer your fears and doubts than to live an easy and comfortable life.