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Book Excerpts From Motivate Yourself To Succeed by Bart Smith

Get a sneak peek into Motivate Yourself To Succeed! by Bart Smith by reading a few of the hand-picked book excerpts below. If you like what you read here, then you'll definitely love the book or perhaps the audio version. That said, enjoy these excerpts!

EXCERPT #1

A Personal Message From The Author

Thanks for picking up my book. About now, you’re probably thinking, “Great, just what the world needs is another book on motivation!” and you’d be right. To my way of thinking, most motivational books out there are too theoretical, pie-in-the-sky, too much fluff, new age, nonsense, ...

EXCERPT #2

An Introduction To MOTIVATION

Do you see yourself wanting to accomplish something, but don’t exactly know how to get started? Maybe you have a vision or a great idea, but you lack motivation. Motivation is the desire to do things! It’s a process that initiates, guides, and maintains our goal-focused behaviors. It’s what causes us to ...

EXCERPT #3

A Motivational Word “GO!”

Do you see yourself wanting to accomplish something, but don’t exactly know how to get started? Maybe you have a vision or a great idea, but you lack motivation. Motivation is the desire to do things! It’s a process that initiates, guides, and maintains our goal-focused behaviors ...

EXCERPT #4

COMPONENT #1

ASSESS Your Current Situation

Whether you have a dream you’d like to fulfill or a great idea you’d like to turn into a reality, nothing motivates us more than taking a good hard look at our current situation. When you do that, you might experience one of these ...

EXCERPT #5

COMPONENT #2

VISUALIZE What You Want!

Now that you’ve assessed your current situation and know where you stand with regard to your wants and desires, can you visualize your ultimate goal? What does it look like? Where do you see yourself in ___ weeks/months/years? How we see ourselves really matters. Use this checklist ...

EXCERPT #6

COMPONENT #4

WORK Your (Customized) Plan Towards Your Goal

So, you have a vision, you’ve got your plan, and you know the reasons you chose to pursue a particular goal. Now ...

EXCERPT #7

COMPONENT #5

OVERCOME Obstacles & Naysayers

No doubt, while working your plan, there will be people who will not understand why you’re working so hard towards the goal(s) you’ve set for yourself ...

EXCERPT #8

COMPONENT #8

PROGRESS How’s It Going? Are You Close?

While observation is a great technique for monitoring what’s working and what’s not during your dedicated journey, analyzing your progress to see how close you are to reaching that goal is also a critical step in the process.


Book Excerpts From Motivate Yourself To Succeed by Bart Smith

BOOK EXCERPT #1

A Personal Message From The Author

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

Thanks for picking up my book. About now, you’re probably thinking, “Great, just what the world needs is another book on motivation!” and you’d be right. To my way of thinking, most motivational books out there are too theoretical, pie-in-the-sky, too much fluff, new age, nonsense, or just too complex and hard to follow for someone like me. Can you relate?

So, what’s different about my motivational book, Motivate Yourself to Succeed? Well, for starters, it’s realistic (no hype) and based on my own experiences. How’s that for starters? 

It’s also written in a narrative format as if you and I were having a conversation. I’ve been where maybe you are right now. Yes, I’ve been there, done that, figured out what works and what doesn’t, been in the trenches, confronted naysayers, overcome obstacles, and from my experiences, I’ve put together some straight-on advice in this book that’s worked solid for me over the years. This is the kind of a book that would really motivate me to read, and ... write! 

Speaking of motivation, let’s talk about Where motivation comeS from. All of us derive (our individual) motivation from a variety of sources.

For me, where business and pursuing my personal ambitions are concerned, my motivation comes directly from these key sources:

✦ MY CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES (GOOD / BAD / UNSATISFIED)

✦ THE ACTUAL DREAM / VISION (SOMETHING TO ASPIRE TO)

✦ A “SUCCESSFUL” PLAN & “WORKING” THAT PLAN

✦ OTHERS WHO HAVE “GONE BEFORE ME” (WHO MADE IT!)

✦ CROSSING THE FINISH LINE (JOB WELL DONE!)

✦ THE SPOILS OF VICTORY (i.e., payday, rewards)

✦ WHAT’S NEXT? NEW SUCCESS? NEW MOUNTAINS TO CLIMB?

FOR ME, every step along that journey (i.e., personal, business, spiritual) is motivated by a positive STEP FORWARD on the psyche for gaining more ground towards reaching the end goal. For example, I’m a runner and I will always strive to prepare for the distance, psyche myself up to start running, and consistently and determined, I will stay the course no matter how tough it gets. I give my best effort to reach the finish line either according to my time line for success or just to finish. Then I’ll reflect and get excited when I can see how my time has improved and how can I repeat the process. As for winning, I’m always a winner ... on my own terms! 

Even as a young man, I often felt personally motivated to address things that challenged me such sports or academics. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and I’d look for opportunities to channel my energy, drive and desires to would accomplish whatever I set my sights on especially if it drove me further, harder, faster. My extracurricular interests lined up with track and football throughout my junior high and high school years. As a running back for seven years, rushing thousands of yards, and sprinting to numerous touch downs, I earned two varsity letters in football. As a nine-year track veteran, I earned four varsity letters as a two-time state champion hurdler with hundreds of first place finishes and enough gold, silver and MVP medals to start my own trophy store. My hard work paid off with a full scholarship to the college of my choice.

Now, close your eyes for a minute. I want you to picture yourself as an untouchable running back or a state champion hurdler. I want you to imagine what it’s like to carry the football. “On two,” the call would come at which point I knew I’d be attacked by an army of players trying to stop me from advancing towards the goal line. What’s more, in spite of exhaustion, being beat up, I was motivated to run. This kind of motivation works for anything that’s important to you. You must overcome fatigue, pain, mistakes, falling down, and yes, getting back up again, and again, and again to succeed. Even with hurdles, well, the word “hurdle” gives it away right there, doesn’t it? How many hurdles are there in a single race? Imagine competing in prelims, semis, and final hurdle races. Now, multiply that by 300 times, and I overcame roughly 3,000+ hurdles to achieve one thing ... WINNING! No matter how I finished, I either was the winner or sure felt like one! 

How many obstacles, people, naysayers and hurdles are there in your PERSONAL LIFE or BUSINESS that try to derail you from pursuing your dreams, ambitions or personal aspirations? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Pretty intimidating. Well, allow me to inspire you to START! GO! DO! BE! and WIN! ... because you WILL! 

What I learned to take away from all those tackles, two yard gains, no yard gains, 50 yard gains, 95 yard touchdown (kickoff) returns, 3,000+ hurdles, 1,000+ yard rushing seasons, hundreds of first place finishes, and more, was if you show up, apply yourself, work hard at what you love until you’re the very best that you can be ... you are a winner! So, #1: GET EXCITED ABOUT WINNING! The game of life is yours! #2: DO WHAT’S REQUIRED: Show up, work hard, give your all, compete against yourself, research, train, practice, rehearse, perform, improve, assess how you’re doing (or have a personal coach help you with that), persist, and voila! You’ll be well on your way to victory, my friend, every time! Don’t you think? Scratch that ... Don’t you KNOW? Yes, you do!

 I recognize that what motivates me to succeed will be different from what motivates you. That’s okay. What we share is the same path of milestones, struggles and winning potential. For those reasons, I wrote Motivate Yourself to Succeed. We all want more, deserve more, crave more, or maybe we’re just sick and tired of who we are and where we are in life. No matter your reasons, what motivates you is for only you to discover. COMPONENT #1 will help you with this. We get right down to it by becoming mindful of our motivations. 

For example, do you have a personal or business dream or a vision of one that’s still in the starting blocks or maybe it’s on hold? Maybe you don’t know how to get started? Follow the simple formula, based on my personal breakthroughs, and you will discover how to make things happen. Crafted into ten actionable exercises with a plethora of first-hand experiences, the formula is about winninG because losing just isn’t in my vocabulary and it’s not in yours, now, either. 

By the way, the word “hope” is also not in my vocabulary nor should it be in yours. Why? Hope is something that is out of our control. For example, suppose you send a card, “I hope my note makes your day.“ That’s something that’s out of your control. However, where you’re concerned, you should always be in control of yourself, your decisions, and your actions. So, replace “hope” with “WILL!” You WILL do xyz! Tell yourself that you WILL give whatever it takes to get the job done ... and then just DO it. 

Over time, I’ve learned the value of making good plans, which I share with you in my book. In every case, it was the plans that helped me to achieve great things in my life and kept me motivated. A plan also ensures that life turns out the way you want it to, such as a positive end goal. You’ll discover the transforming power of self-awareness and a boost in confidence that will validate that you actually do control your own destiny. Have you ever gone on a road trip without a map? Well, everyone has taken a wrong turn, become bored with the drive or exasperated that they weren’t there yet. But, by staying the course, following through, you got there, right? You were driven (no pun) to reach your final destination. Through the boredom, detours, construction, and long hours, you stayed motivated to complete your trip proving that YOU can be driven. 

Hopefully my book will give you a fresh perspective and an appreciation for a view outside of your restlessness, dead end, or dreaded comfort zone! I want it to inspire you to start your own journey toward something fulfilling and rewarding. My positive life experiences are the result of following these ten easy steps and they cannot be found in any one place other than Motivate Yourself to Succeed. Become an active participant in your own dreams and you’ll find that you too can achieve just about anything you set your mind to. This book will help you do just that. 

dream big. There’s nothing stopping you that an action plan and a spark of inspiration won’t kick start you into motion. In Motivate Yourself To Succeed, you’ll secure real tips, actual steps, thought patterns, mental tactics, and insights needed to pull off virtually anything you set your mind to and (again) on your own terms.

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BOOK EXCERPT #2

An Introduction To MOTIVATION

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

“THE TIME FOR MOTIVATION IS NOW!”

Do you see yourself wanting to accomplish something, but don’t exactly know how to get started? Maybe you have a vision or a great idea, but you lack motivation. Motivation is the desire to do things! It’s a process that initiates, guides, and maintains our goal-focused behaviors. It’s what causes us to act on something, whether it’s getting up in the morning and putting on the coffee, or climbing a mountain because we know that we want to do something that’s exciting and beyond our current state of existence. 

Motivation, next to knowledge and experience, is probably one of the most important steps for succeeding at whatever we set out to do. The benefits that come from being motivated and maintaining high levels of it are obvious. Motivation is like fuel. The more we have, the farther we can go towards reaching our desired goals. 

This book is about motivating yourself to succeed with an action plan that’s laid out for you every step of the way plus tips on orchestrating each step. I break the process down into ten KEY STEPs that take you from your idea (vision) to fruition (victory). This book is about success and how motivation plays a role in every step we take. Motivation is our incentive to work towards a goal. Why do we need it? 

First of all, can you rely on others to motivate you? To some degree. While you might gain inspiration from others to do something, no one can promise to motivate you. Life doesn’t work that way. One can only motivate oneself. Moving towards inspirational goals makes us feel good about ourselves, but how we get there, the journey, is what energizes the human engine to run and stay the course. 

So, why does motivation fizzle in some and not in others? Very simply, they either don’t want something bad enough to do anything about it or they don’t have a good plan to help them get there through the tough times, and when faith, hope and motivation aren’t enough. Setting realistic goals and having the desire to accomplish those goals is not enough either. You must have the ability to do the work required, follow a plan, overcome obstacles, be persistent, check your progress from time to time, observe what’s working/what’s not, and when all those steps are met, VICTORY should be your final destination. 

The three main elements of motivation include: 

✦ Activation, which involves the decision to initiate a behavior, such as reading this book or going after a dream/vision. 

✦ Persistence, which is the continued effort of working toward a goal even though obstacles exist. 

✦ Intensity, which is viewed as the level of focus, concentration or drive that goes into pushing you to pursue your goals. 

So what actually motivates anyone to act? 

✦ Instincts: An innate/natural impulse, tendency or inclination to act on or do something about something you feel strongly inside you. 

✦ Wants/Needs: People have basic biological needs that drive them to do certain things and fulfill certain internal drives, whether they’re biological (like needing to eat, sleep, breathe, etc.) or emotional (to be loved, to love, be recognized by others, etc.). 

✦ Arousal Levels: The arousal theory of motivation suggests that people are motivated to engage in behaviors that help them maintain their optimal level of arousal. A person with low arousal needs might pursue relaxing activities, while those with high arousal needs might be motivated to engage in exciting, thrill-seeking behaviors like sky diving, mountain climbing, etc.

What about extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation? Extrinsic motivations are those that arise from outside of ourselves and often involve rewards such as trophies, money, social recognition or praise. Intrinsic motivations are those that arise from within an individual, such as working a complicated cross-word puzzle purely for the personal gratification of solving a problem.

Now that we understand the context of motivation, and what drives us to do what we do, motivation becomes the driver for all the other steps for achieving the success we desire. In Motivate Yourself To Succeed, I go into ten key steps for success. Following this sequence, and motivated by your desire to reach whatever your plan is for success, you should ultimately land at the home plate of Victory. At that point, you might ask yourself, “Now what? What’s next?” Just like a real champ does! 

Reading this book, you will learn how to take your vision, dream, or what you’re passionate about and bring it to life. I offer potential steps, surprises, pitfalls, and mistakes and solutions from my own experience and speaking with others who are also living their dreams. Our successes, no matter how small, depend on maintaining our own levels of motivation, despite the hurdles, ups and downs, and tackles life will bring us on our journey.

 

If you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone and, on your own, develop an idea or realize a goal or vision and you have the desire to turn it into a successful reality, then this book is for you. I’ve been to the top of the mountain and the view is great! It takes courage to go for what you want. It takes planning and persistence and, above all, motivation to get the job started and carry you straight through to the finish line.

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BOOK EXCERPT #3

A Motivational Word “GO!”

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

If there is one word I could use to inspire you to take the kind of action you’ll need to fulfill your vision for some quest burning inside you, it would be “GO!” There’s no time like the present to get going and feel motivated to achieve your dreams. So, again, I encourage you to: 

GO! ... and do that which you are driven deep inside to do!

GO! ... and DO that which you SEE (in your mind) you can DO!

GO! ... and do that which you were MEANT to do!

GO! ... and do what you’ve always WANTED to DO!

GO! ... and do that which you feel in your heart you must DO!

GO! ... and do what will BRING SUCCESS/REWARD to you/yours.

GO! ... and be WHO you were MEANT TO BE from day one!

Now, GO LIVE YOUR LIFE and live it with burning passion. Use what you are about to learn in Motivate Yourself To Succeed to help get you there.

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BOOK EXCERPT #4

COMPONENT #1

ASSESS Your Current Situation

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

Whether you have a dream you’d like to fulfill or a great idea you’d like to turn into a reality, nothing motivates us more than taking a good hard look at our current situation. When you do that, you might experience one of these reactions: 

✦ EXCITED about embarking on that new project ...

✦ DRIVEN to do good for yourself and/or others ...

✦ UPSET/FRUSTRATED that you’re not where you want to be ...

No matter what best describes your feelings about your current situation, make an honest assessment and use it as fuel to drive you all the way to the finish line of victory! What do you think about that?

“Wow, I’m so excited to take action on something that I know will bring prosperity to myself/others.”

 I’m just not content with my current situation. I know I can do better, and I will ... NOW!” 

“I’m really UPSET WITH MYSELF that I’m not where I think I should be at this point in my life. I’m finally going to do something about it!”

“I’m a naturally DRIVEN person. When I see something I want, I go after it. No one has to tell me.” 

However you describe your current situation (doing great, not so great, disillusioned, or eager to achieve something specific such as money, fame, or freedom), think it through thoroughly and then write it down in this book (on the next page).

It’s your move. It’s your life. You owe it to yourself to be brutally honest. Agreeably, it’s hard to be self-critical, but the experience should give you clarity and empower you to accomplish great things.

[EXERCISE 1.1] IN 1-3 SENTENCES, DESCRIBE HOW YOU “FEEL” RIGHT NOW ABOUT YOUR CURRENT SITUATION. Are you feeling pushed, frustrated, ambivalent or discontented? Are you upset that you’d like to have certain things or have accomplished more with your life? Describe in emotionally-charged sentences what really gets you fired up about going after your goal!

(THIS IS CONTINUED IN THE BOOK)

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BOOK EXCERPT #5

COMPONENT #2

VISUALIZE What You Want!

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

Now that you’ve assessed your current situation and know where you stand with regard to your wants and desires, can you visualize your ultimate goal? What does it look like? Where do you see yourself in ___ weeks/months/years? How we see ourselves really matters. Use this checklist to expand on your thoughts and ideas.

✦ It all starts with a dream! So, DREAM BIG! The larger the dream, the more fun you’ll have chasing it. Small dreams can fizzle out and may not prove worthy of the race once you get there. When you see yourself winning your own race, you’ll stop at nothing to get your hands on the prize.

✦ Are you willing to take action to become the best version of yourself? Take that vision and focus on it until you start believing it. Think it, dream it, and start living your life inside that vision.

✦ Let every part of your body be one with your vision. Embrace the critical balance between satisfaction and ecstasy.

✦ For now, concentrate on one vision at a time until you become confident and fully self-aware. Give yourself time and emotional space to create that vision for your life. If you become distracted by other visions, write them down to review later. Choose what is important to you right now and what you can accomplish now!

✦ After you’ve conceived a perfect vision for yourself, can you illustrate it preferably in color? (You don’t need to be an artist for this exercise to put your ideas on paper.) Seeing a picture can give you something tangible to look at every day to remind you of what you’re going after? For example, if you see yourself as an author, sketch a rough draft of your book cover. If you are inclined, think about creating a 3D product image to showcase your ideas including all kinds of products, book covers, eBook readers, posters or some display that you can look at daily. This is your vision, so don't let the sky limit your possibilities.

✦ Can you convert your idea into merchandise? Then look at sample products online and websites such as Zazzle.com. Create mugs, t-shirts, mouse pads, you name it! If you can see it, you can do it!

✦ Can you picture yourself as an action figure or bubble head doll representing your vision? These things bode well as giveaways if you’re a speaker or in the public eye. If you do plan to give a free gift, I recommend it’s something useful. (No more coffee mugs, please.) The real gift is YOU being present and a participant in the moment in people’s lives.

✦ Do you doubt yourself? Do you question whether you can pull off your vision? No one can give you better advice than yourself. Forget what other people think you should be doing. This is your journey. Whatever decisions you make, you can always tweak them as you continue to run the course of your life. Tell yourself that you are unstoppable.

✦ Do you talk to others about what you want to do, become or achieve? If you’re talking about it, then you better be working on it! Nobody likes to listen to someone who just talks and makes idle promises. Walk the talk if you’re going start announcing it.

✦ There is no competition. When you dream your dream, visualize you alone with no one around you. The journey is about you so that when you do get there, the ONLY COMPETITION you’ll have will be with yourself and that’s when it gets interesting. Always challenge yourself to do better; be better. George B. Leonard, a visionary who wrote about education and human potential, said this about competition, “Competition is the spice of sports; but if you make spice the whole meal you’ll be sick.”

✦ What have you wanted to do for a long time, but you’ve put it off for a number of reasons? What’s burning inside of you that you want to see, experience, accomplish? What are your goals for achieving your fullest potential in terms of skills, happiness, relationships, and more? Make THAT the first vision you go after.

✦ You are the architect of your dream or vision. Design it to your specifications. Ask for help if you need it. Ultimately, YOU are in charge of your own destiny.

✦ If YOU know where you’re going and want to do, that’s all that matters unless fear, insecurity or critical self-talk is holding you back. You don’t want to sabotage your own success with negativity.

✦ If a performer always plays local clubs and can’t picture playing at a stadium of thousands, then it will invariably never happen. You need BIG PICTURE VISION to pull off ideas and ambitions. Don’t limit the scale of your dream, either, just go for it! If you fall, get up! There’s no such thing as failing.

✦ Anchoring [DEFINITION] is a mental technique that enables one to make available specific mental states (preferably positive ones) when you need them most. By anchoring, you can replicate feelings of confidence, progress, and inspiration on demand. In other words, your vision becomes your anchor, especially during the tough times, and it will energize you. When you’re challenged, your vision should sustain you. Anchoring is very useful because it provides pieces of information to help you make decisions and keeps you positive as you progress towards your dream and goal fulfillment. Practice it and use it often.

✦ How will you know if you’ve fully achieved your goal? Visualize the process from beginning to end. By visualizing your goal, it leads to quicker actualization. Now, can you see yourself at the finish line? Carry this mental image with you to remind you of where you are headed. Remember, the value and rewards you’ll earn when you reach your goal are not nearly as worthwhile as the experience of getting there.

✦ Don’t dream so big that it seems impossible to get started because it will be. Build the perfect “scalable” system, product, service, etc. Suppose you have a new product that you are eager to take to market, then ship what you’ve got. Build more inventory and continually hone your marketing skills. Listen to your customers and continually work to improve your processes. A baby learns to walk one step at a time. Having a huge, lofty goal that’s bigger than a humpback whale might be thinking too big. That kind of thinking can paralyze you and prevent you from what and where you want to be.

✦ Excuses. Excuses. That’s all they are. Excuses. It’s never too early or too late to start something new; maybe it’s a personal journey to become more mindful; maybe it’s training to excel at some sport or event. The windows of opportunity are always open for every one of us. Only you can close it. Stop talking about it, stop commiserating about it, and take one positive step. Surely, you aren’t afraid to do the work, take the risk, or face the adversity that might come your way turning determination into victory.

✦ Use personally written affirmations to support your goal. If you have more than one goal, have an affirmation for each goal. Affirmations are easy to remember and when articulated can become one of your greatest supporters to cheer you along your path. Recite them frequently to bolster enthusiasm and to reinforce that you’re a champion. Personally, my affirmations are on 24/7 rotation throughout my brain and flowing through my veins. I’m never short of enthusiasm and inspiration, period!

(THIS IS CONTINUED IN THE BOOK)

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BOOK EXCERPT #6

COMPONENT #4

WORK Your (Customized) Plan Towards Your Goal

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

So, you have a vision, you’ve got your plan, and you know the reasons you chose to pursue a particular goal. Now what? It’s time to get to work and this is when the real fun begins; working toward your ultimate goal.

✦ Don’t know where to start? Just follow the plan. Oh, you knew that. Seriously, start with one foot forward, and go from there. Progress in the beginning doesn’t need to be anything more than just SOMETHING moving you forward. It’ll get easier, per se, as you get into it.

✦ Work on your plan either in the open, if desired/required, or in private, if possible. We talked about this already. Either people know about your plan/vision, and/or you want them to. Otherwise, in the beginning, everything’s on lock down. No one is to know until you deem it to be the right time to bring them in on what you’re up to. Better to hear words like, “I never know you were working on _____.” versus, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I don’t think you can make it.” You pick which words you’d rather hear.

✦ For progress’ sake, it will be important that something gives during this initial launch/quest to reach your goal, specifically, in the beginning to get yourself going. Sometimes, sacrifices need to be made to ensure that your goal can be accomplished in a reasonable period of time. That time will vary depending on circumstances. Such as, cease or limit pleasurable activities or outings. If you have a family that’s a little different. The idea here is to work as many hours, and as fast as you can on the plan to reach your ultimate goal sooner, rather than later.

For example, watching almost any TV is a big time-waster. Turn it off, and get to work. Think of it like this, would you rather spend your days basking in the glory of your attained goal? Or, would you rather relax 20-30 hours a week watching TV or doing whatever (unrelated) to your ultimate goal? That is, 20 hours a week of wasted time is 80 hours a month you could work on your goal. Better to spend that time advancing than baby-stepping your way towards your goal only working on it a few hours a week.

✦ Need some quiet time to work? Do you belong to a timeshare program? Got a few extra thousand points to use for just this occasion? Take a week or two and go somewhere exclusive and write for that book, for example. That is if what you’re working on requires some alone time. Other projects may not require such an environment. I’ve enjoyed getting away a few weeks a year like this, and the cost is next to nothing.

✦ This doesn’t work for everyone, but I find working at night (when everyone else is sleeping), I can work without interruptions or distractions and get tons done. If you can put in 4-8 hours of work while everyone’s sleeping, that’s almost equal to working 2 days during awake hours for the rest of the world. Pick the hours that work best for you because that’s when you will get the most amount of work accomplished and, after all, it’s your goal. Work whatever YOUR best time is ... mornings, evenings, or into the night.

✦ Sleep? The total amount of sleep anyone should get in a 24 hour period varies because we’re all wired differently. Speaking from my own experience, I burn the midnight oil and do whatever it takes to reach my goals, but certainly not at the expense of my health. Research tells us that lack of sleep can adversely impact our metabolism and immune systems, so I won’t argue with science. I will say, again, that to succeed, sometimes you need to bust tail and push the envelope by burning that midnight oil to get the job done. You can always catch up on sleep later, right? Or, my favorite line goes like, “I’ll get all the sleep I need when I’m dead.” Another favorite expression, spoken to me from a world famous rock star I met, who said, “We’ll get all the dirt nappin’ we need later (when we’re dead). Right now, let’s rock and roll all night, and party every day.”

✦ To the degree you sacrifice and burn the midnight oil, so to speak, will you reap the benefits and advance past your competitors.

✦ Work when YOU are most productive. For some it’s the morning, for some it’s at night. Get away from people if that what it takes.

✦ Why do some people triumph when others don’t? A coach told me one time that a person has to have an emotional driver to motivate, inspire and push oneself to succeed. Believing that you can win a race, for example, is not the same as wanting victory. You must feel passionate and emotionally charged to be a winner.

✦ Do things that others are unwilling to do. With that set of values, a person is generally more accepting to eagerly take risks, go out on a limb, be a trend-setter, a role model, a maverick, an entrepreneur. For them, it’s all about how they play the game and not about winning or losing. Their inner being is directing their ambition and he/she can’t hear the cynic, the killjoy, the doomsayer.

✦ Outwork your competition and outwit them. Be willing to accept change from your learnings. Seek opportunities to work with people who are smarter than you are. Challenge yourself. Diversify. Ask potential clients, family and friends about problems they need solving. Ask what annoys them most about other companies if you’re starting a business or selling a product. Rarely is doing less than the other guy going to get you ahead, but learning about people, what makes them tick, and understanding some of the issues that drive them can give you a competitive edge. If you don’t have anyone to compete against, then it’s only you who you have to compete against. Still, give it your all. Set goals for yourself, attain them, then set new ones. Constantly be moving the bar higher and higher.

✦ Do you strive to have maximum benefits with the minimum of effort? Well, sorry, that won’t cut it where you’re going. Besides, that’s a fantasy. Nothing worthwhile came without hard work. So, get over it, roll your sleeves up, dig in, and get ready to work!

✦ While some have a difficult time saying “no,” sometimes it’s the right answer to give. The trick is know when and actually SAY IT! Productive people work on staying healthy and fit, not only to avoid physical setbacks, but to enable themselves to be even more productive when the need arises. Above all, I try to make every day count so that my life is continuously fulfilling and progressing forward.

✦ We often confuse being productive with doing many things at one time. That works well for the juggler who has to keep all the balls in the air. Being productive is about being steady and consistent and getting your priorities accomplished. Prioritizing can ensure that you get the important things out of the way first clearing your schedule for items that are less important. The important tasks are the ones that move our dreams, our creations, and our businesses and personal life forward. Then at some point, you need to do a self-check so you know if you are still on track for fulfilling your dream. You need to periodically stop and reflect on your accomplishments. Celebrate your successes along the way and make sure that you are always driving towards that ultimate vision for your life.

✦ We only have so much TIME to work on our stuff, let alone live life. Don’t waste it on trivial matters or dealing with people that waste yours. Don’t waste it watching mindless television or doing too much of something you could otherwise get someone else to do for you while you get your work done. Limit time on the phone or on social media or reading eMail. GET YOUR SH** DONE!

[EXERCISE 4.1] MAKE A LIST OF THOSE THINGS (DISTRACTIONS) YOU WILL NOW CUT OUT OF YOUR LIFE (FOR NOW) SO YOU CAN SPEND MORE TIME WORKING YOUR PLAN TOWARDS YOUR GOAL!✦ 

(THIS IS CONTINUED IN THE BOOK)

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BOOK EXCERPT #7

COMPONENT #5

OVERCOME Obstacles & Naysayers

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

No doubt, while working your plan, there will be people who will not understand why you’re working so hard towards the goal(s) you’ve set for yourself.

This is for several reasons; many of which you should care less about the “why,” and be more focused on the “how to deal with them” so you can carry on your work.

You’ll also run into obstacles of various kinds on your journey to fulfill your vision. Whether it’s a lack of funding, lack of resources, lack of time, unexpected interruptions, technology upgrades, personal issues, etc.

Repeat after me, “nothing stopS ME!” Let’s look at some ways to handle these distractions.

OBSTACLES

✦ It’s worth saying again, “NOTHING STOPS YOU!” Think about it, believe it, live it! Nothing stops you. NOTHING!

✦ Do anything and everything to get by. This is your dream. Don’t let anything stop you. Sometimes, this means cutting back in certain ways, such as minimizing some of your bills or going without certain luxuries so you can spend that money on your dream.

✦ Accept that sometimes bad things happen and changes must be made. There are no guarantees in life. By accepting the fact that unexpected things do happen and are often out of your control, learn to deal with it. There’s always room for a Plan B, C, D and E in your original Plan. When things don’t turn out the way you expect them to, and sometimes they don’t for a reason (to be learned now or later), your next plan alternative might serve you even better than your first. You gotta love that!

✦ Not a dime to your name? Only one set of clothing? That’s what some famous and prosperous people look back on during their days of struggle on their way to the top. Who hasn’t struggled to fulfill a dream. Does that describe you? Take comfort in knowing those things don’t matter. What matters is your internal drive to get you where you want to go. You can reward yourself later with that costly pair of tennis shoes or luxury automobile when the time comes. If you get something for nothing, or not having to effort to earn it, you probably won’t appreciate it for long. Some (lazy) people look forward to an inheritance or buy weekly lottery tickets. Personally, I’m my own lottery ticket, and so are you. If you are focused on your ship coming in, you will invariably forget that personal usefulness and application to ones desires is the only true direction one should travel when pursuing real happiness and fulfillment.

✦ How bad do you want it? Bad enough to not let anything get in your way to the top? That’s the attitude. Carry on, dream soldier.

✦ I am a strong believer that anyone can achieve the goals they set for themselves. Sometimes it takes courage to step out of your comfort zone, try new things, and overcome your doubts and fears. I’ve been there. But what got me through many of the races of life was focusing on the end result. I saw myself as a winner. If you come in second or tenth place, are you still a winner? Absolutely, because you finished the race and maybe even broke your own record. When you make the effort to move forward, develop and grow, you’re right on track, always.

✦ Deadlines? So you miss them. So you miss a lot of them. So you keep moving the goal posts again and again. So? And? That’s how things have to roll sometimes. Deadlines are good, and you can even say to yourself that you’re around the corner from finishing “X”, but in reality, you’re not. Saying it (to yourself) is encouraging in the fact that you’re almost done. When things take longer, they just do. Don’t get upset at that either. Literally, some projects take longer than you could ever imagined they would. So? Accept it. Live with it, and keep working. Maybe there are reasons that you’re not where you need to be in your plan or in your life. Maybe you’re overwhelmed with due dates, not up on technology, allow others to schedule your time, not solving your work/personal issues, or maybe you aren’t communicating effectively with the people that need to understand what’s going on. First of all, do know, these are fixable problems. When things take longer, they just do. Sometimes, you need to be honest with yourself (and others) and recognize that you can’t meet a certain deadline. That’s life. Adjusting your schedule appropriately.

✦ All you need is “enough” to get you by, while you work on your dream. Who cares if you don’t have this or that, or you have to go without this or that. Who cares if you don’t have money to go out or buy this or that. So what? Those things don’t matter when you’re chasing your dream. You’ll have plenty of time to have fun when you’re work is done.

✦ Confidence in yourself will get you through most anything. It really is mental armor to shield you from anything and everything that could come your way to try to knock you off your course. Band analogy: “You’re going to be the biggest band in the world! Even though you haven’t written one original song yet.” You gotta think it first, to believe it second, so you can pursue it third, and live it, fourth!

(THIS IS CONTINUED IN THE BOOK)

NAYSAYERS

✦ In the course of pursuing your dream, you might upset, even tip over, the apple cart of life and leave others in the dust to realize that they didn’t have the guts to do the same. This can cause a cynic to rant and rave, “Don’t go. Watch out. You won’t make it. I don’t want to see you get hurt when things don’t work out. I tried and I failed. So will you.” Have you heard these B.S. lines before? For one thing, no two experiences are ever the same. To the defeatist, I’d say, “I’m not you.” What’s more, you have a whole different set of skills, talents, desires, pain thresholds, drive and energy to succeed. You’re different, and just because they failed at something, doesn’t mean you will. Even if you question yourself, it’s part of the process for achieving your goal. Keep that in mind when someone throws out responses like that.

✦ Another favorite response I hear from naysayers is, “Don’t you understand the chances of you (succeeding) are really, really slim?” Friends, know this, if you will just pursue what you really feel like doing, without any regard to those who are trying to stop you, there’s a greater than 50% chance that you’ll actually get there. Most of those who put barricades up in your way are only doing so because if you do make it, it’s that much harder for them to deal with their own failure. Well, tough beans. Life’s hard, and then you die. Get over yourselves folks (out there) putting up these barricades with your words. We don’t need you blocking the way to the top of our fantasy/dream mountains. “Get out of the way,” I say!

✦ One way to turn all this negativity (coming from others) around is to say to them, “I tell you what, when I succeed, I’ll tell you exactly how I did it so you too can go after your dreams and succeed too.” To understand why people are pessimistic: (1) They don’t want to succeed or they’d be out there working on their own dreams. (2) They are their own worst enemies and don’t take their dreams seriously enough to go the distance. (3) For them, seeing is believing. They lack clarity and vision. The point is, some people are so self-deprecating, that they are beyond any help that you can offer, and frankly, need to be put in their place. That’s not to say that they are hopeless; just helpless. They may need more than you can provide. You can still be encouraging and supportive. If you offer to help them, by sharing your findings, and they still refuse to support you, then they have issues inside them, which you’re not qualified to deal with. BYE to them.

✦ “No, YOU don’t understand,” is your response when people tell you that YOU can’t do something. Many don’t understand why we chase our dreams or go after awesome goals especially when they see you striving to be innovative, unconventional or offbeat. I believe that the world needs more risk-takers. After all, someone has to lead. We can’t all be followers.

✦ Think to yourself, “you’re street tough” and you won’t put up with anyone putting you down. Look them in the eye, and say, “BYE!”

✦ William Ellery Channing, theologian, said, “No power in society, no hardship in your condition can depress you, keep you down, in knowledge, power, virtue, influence, but by your own consent.” The people worth impressing only want you to be the real you and naturally support your success. After all, how can anyone else know what’s best for you? There could be great value in what you aim for. Just accept that there will always be some that will never be able to support that your vision has merit. It doesn’t always mean that these people are unsupportive. Maybe they don’t understand the journey. Maybe they only understand the easy road and quick wins. They try to build confidence within and momentum without. That's not you!

✦ Always ... keep your cool. You knew that the journey wouldn’t be all paved. Never let anyone see you sweat even if you might be on the verge of losing everything, struggling to pay your bills, waiting for key things to happen and your journey doesn’t go the way you expected it to. NEVER, EVER show a sign to that reality behind your curtain. Let them see you, but not know about the struggles. They make for great stories afterward. Always smile and put on a fantastic face (front) that everything is okay. They don’t need to hear about your worries, pains, struggles, concerns, or worse, have all that for ammunition to fire back at you, such as, “Why don’t you quit while you’re ahead. Why are you still doing that? Are you making any money after all that time you’ve put in? Get out while you still can.” Wow, talk about your non-believers. For you, you are going to hold on and hang in there. Your ship will come in, and when it does, you’re not going to show your pains/struggles. Let it appear as if you experienced few to no hardships at all. The greatest thing you can tell these naysayers when it’s all over and you’re rockin’ is, “It was so easy. Anybody can do this. You should try it yourself.” Then, when they do try and find how HARD it really is, watch them change their tune fast. “You know, I tried what you did, and now I realize just how hard it really is. I’m sorry for saying what I did and I want to congratulate you on doing something most people would be afraid to do or try. For that, you’ve inspired me to actually go after something I’ve been thinking about doing for a really long time. Thank you.” Wow, see how that works? Exactly! Try it sometime. When someone puts up traffic cones and detour signs that try to send you in a different direction, just say, “No thanks, I know where I’m going ...”

(THIS IS CONTINUED IN THE BOOK)

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BOOK EXCERPT #8

COMPONENT #8

PROGRESS How’s It Going? Are You Close?

Motivate Yourself To Succeed! Excerpt
Copyright © 2024 by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission

By now, you should be getting excited about sharing your vision or your dream goal? Your hard work is paying off and you’ve generated some real interest in your personal/business plan or product (and maybe some income). Your supporters are eager to understand what you’ve been working on, what’s driving you, and results (whether you’ll succeed).

While observation is a great technique for monitoring what’s working and what’s not during your dedicated journey, analyzing your progress to see how close you are to reaching that goal is also a critical step in the process.

✦ Look back from the time you started your journey to where you are currently. How do things look? Are you ready to break out of your cave and showcase what you’ve been focused on? Over the years, I developed a strong work ethic and mental fortitude that has served me well, no matter what I am working on. I use the values I have acquired to bolster my trust in myself and I can honestly say that I believe that I can succeed at almost anything that I set my mind to. Everything that I do is with the intention that I will succeed and it will be first rate.

✦ If you are launching a new product (for example), have you tested the market, created promotional material, rehearsed your announcement, compiled testimonials, conducted trial runs, touted the benefits of your product to others, linked into social media and other Internet venues, etc.? Are you getting things done? If the answer is yes, then what is your expected outcome? What are your next steps?

✦ Do you have systems in place to support what you’re about to unleash? What does your life/business plan indicate that is needed at this juncture? Are those things in place? By making a thorough and calculated assessment, you can see how things are truly shaping up.

✦ Are you a perfectionist? To some degree that’s not a bad thing. It says that you have a tremendous eye for detail. The trouble is when perfectionism turns “analysis into paralysis” and you don’t get out of your own way. You labor over one thing, which prevents you from moving on to other steps that may require your full attention. Put limits on what you work on, whether it’s time or progress. You can also say to yourself, “You know what? This is fine for now. Let’s get this out there and get some feedback.” Then, use the information to determine where you go from here such as make more product (for example) or improve the one you have. Sometimes, we can get too close to something and it clouds our objectivity. That’s when we need to step back and get some perspective from others.

✦ Do you have your product or idea protected prior to launching into a marketplace such as trademarks (optional, perhaps a plus), patents, copyrights, or the purchase of a domain name? Protect yourself. I buy my domains at ReallyCheapNames.com. You can too!

(THIS IS CONTINUED IN THE BOOK)

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