Inspired by a fight between Muhammad Ali, champion of the world, and Chuck Wepner, a guy who never stood a chance against Ali, Stallone decided to write the scrip for a movie. Stallone, dead broke at the time, wrote the entire script in twenty-six hours using a Bic pen. As he wrote the script he decided that, no matter what, he would be the one who would play the leading role in the movie.

At a time when he did not know where his next meal would be coming from, Stallone was offered up to $325,000 for the script so long as he agreed to not star in it. The producers wanted Ryan O’Neil to be the leading actor. Stallone refused. He would be Rocky or the film would not be made. It was finally agreed that he could have the part but they would only pay him $35,000.

When Stallone refused the offer of over three hundred thousand dollars he was so broke that he had to sell his dog, Butkus, for $15.00 because he could no longer afford to feed him. He loved that dog so much that upon receiving the $35,000 for the script, he bought it back for $15,000. It says something about the character of the man.

The rest is history. The film was made for one million dollars, made $117,200,000 and won three Oscars, including Best Picture. Stallone became a huge star and arguably an American icon. All of that because of an infallible determination.

Few people have achieved Stallone’s level of success because few people have been able to show such a level of determination. A dream is a dream because it seems to be unattainable. The catalyst needed to turn the invisible into the visible is determination.

If determination is so important, how then can we inspire ourselves to get it? There are two different techniques that can be used. They are, the compelling future technique and the pain/pleasure principle.

The compelling future technique consists of vividly creating in our mind the kind of future that we would have if our dream ever came through. We must be able to know how it would really feel to actually live that dream. That is what great achievers do. Even before the first step is taken to turn their dream into reality, they know what it will feel like when it is completed. If the desire to live that projected reality is great enough, nothing will stand in the way of its achievement.

The pain/pleasure principle consists of attaching so much pain to not realizing the project and attaching so much pleasure to seeing it attained that it really leaves no other option then that of pushing the project until it is completed.

The aphorism, “No pain, no gain.” takes on its full signification when it comes to great achievements. The effort required to turn a dream into reality is directly proportional to the scope of the dream. Wishful thinking never accomplished anything.

Benjamin Disraeli said, “Nothing can resist a will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment.” It is possible to succeed even if there is a lack of resources so long as there is resourcefulness. It is possible to succeed in spite of a lack of expertise so long as there is someone somewhere who can supply the know how necessary. It is possible to succeed where no one has done it before. But it is impossible to succeed when there is no determination.

With enough determination, no mountain is too high and no dragon is too fierce. It is the human element that no force can resist.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

This article may also be reproduced so long as it is mentioned that it was first published in http://shamoublog.com/

For some, that metaphoric world will be seen as a sport arena where people compete to win the game. For others, it will be a dangerous war zone where every one fights for survival and in some cases it may be seen as a place where people were placed to atone for the original sin. Even if we are not conscientiously aware of it, each of us has his own simplified view of the world that we have created for ourselves.

That personal view of the world will not only determines how we see the world but how we will deal and react to it. Our metaphor becomes the terrain that we feel that we are navigating during our journey through Planet Earth.

Our picture of the world will define our way of thinking and our attitude. It will set the boundaries of the possible and the impossible, it will affect most of our actions and reactions throughout life. That picture becomes the terrain that we have to deal with in our everyday life. It becomes the reality that we have to contend with.

That being said, it becomes evident that our personal vision of the world plays a major role in the unfolding of our life and if it so, great care should be taken in deciding how we chose to see that world. Our vision should be examined to see if it empowers us or if it makes our life more complicated and more difficult than it needs to be.

It is evident that someone who sees the world as a war zone will find it more difficult to succeed than someone who sees it as the land of opportunities and that someone who live in what is believed to be a vale of tears stands little chance of finding lasting happiness.

How we see the world and the metaphor that we use to represent it can be changed by changing our focus and the perspective from which we look at the universe. We have an almost infinite number of options. We can focus on the good or we can focus on the bad. We can direct our attention to the opportunities that exist or we can see the difficulties and roadblocks. We have the choice, we decide but, then, we get to live with the consequences of that choice.

It seems almost impossible that something as innocuous as a metaphor can have such an impact on our life. However it does. It does have a tremendous influence on the quality of our life. That metaphor becomes the terrain that we travel through. It can be a gentle slope bordered with awesome sceneries or it can be a steep hill surrounded by pitfalls and dangerous crevasses.

There is no such thing as reality, there is only our interpretation of reality. We get to chose and to decide what our world is like. We get to transform that view into a single metaphor. May as well chose a wonderful world and an empowering metaphor. It can totally transform our life and what we can make of it. Try it for a few days… you’ll never go back.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

There are two major elements that shape us and direct our behavior. These are, the way we see the world and our belief system. Our view of the world is the terrain on which we navigate by using our beliefs system which is the map that we use to reach our target or intended destination.

Each of us has a very definite view or understanding of the world that we live in. Einstein has said, “Man tries to make for himself in the fashion that suits him best a simplified and intelligible picture of the world.” Everyone of us has a personal understanding of the world that we live in and that is the world that we feel that we must deal with.

Whether our view of the world is accurate or not does not alter the fact that it is the world that we are traveling through and that we must deal with. Our view of the world is our reality. It is what we feel that we must contend with. It shapes and direct our decisions, if affects the way we think, act and react.

The map that will guide us through our view of the world is our belief system. Each of us has fundamental beliefs about almost everything. What life is, who we are, what our role on Planet Earth is. We have fundamental beliefs about every subjects that has any influence on us and on society as a whole.

Again, those beliefs may be accurate or not but they are still the map that will be used to navigate through our conception of the world. That is the map that we use to get to our target and that target is to fill our primary needs.

As humans, we have six primaries needs that have to be filled. They are:

1. Certainty. We need to feel relatively secure.
2. Uncertainty. If we could predict everything, life would be so boring as to be unlivable.
3. Significance. We need to feel that we count, that we matter.
4. Connection and love. We need to feel that we belong.
5. Growth. Personal growth is a basic instinct that we all share.
6. Contribution. A normal person has a primal need to contribute in some way to society.

One of these needs is always more important for us than the others and will constitute our primary target or intended destination port.

As an example, let’s take the case of someone who’s dominant need would be significance. That person has a major need to feel the he is special, that he matters, that he really counts as an individual. The way that he fills that need will be the prime director of his behavior.

That person has and understanding of the world, that’s the terrain that he must navigate to reach his target which is significance. That person also has a map that will direct him in that journey and that’s his fundamental beliefs. And it is the interaction of the world view, the beliefs and the intended target that will determine his behavior.

This may not be an easy concept to grasp. It does take time and reflection before we can fully understand it. For those who are interested in pursuing some research on the subject, the following video of a TED conference by Anthony Robbins will provide invaluable help.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

Unless a fundamental change is made in our way of thinking, no lasting change is possible. To affect changes, first we must raise our standards. We must decide what will no longer be acceptable in our life. Fundamental beliefs must be changed. The way we perceive ourselves must be changed.

So long as a person sees himself as being powerless in front of a situation, that situation will persist. A timid person who sees himself as being timid will remain timid so as long as that belief is held. Same for overeating, smoking, alcohol or drug addiction etc…

In order to be able to change a belief, first we must understand what a belief is. A belief is noting but a notion supported by evidences. A timid person has had occurrences in his past where he acted and reacted in a timid way. Today, those occurrences serve as evidences that he is a timid person.

However, if that person puts his mind to it, he can find many instances when he reacted with exemplar self-assuredness. It could have been while playing sport, while he was angry or with friends. But in anyone’s life there were ample instances where timidity was out of the picture that a solid bank of references can be accumulated to create the belief that, indeed, that person is not fundamentally timid but only reacted this way in certain occasions.

With some modest efforts, new beliefs can be created to replace old and disempowering ones. That is what raising personal standards is all about. It’s changing the way that a person sees himself.

We always react as we perceive ourselves to be. There is no more powerful mechanism to control the behavior than identity. Acting contrary to what we perceive ourselves to be is extremely difficult and painful. We always seek to maintain our identity at all cost.

So, to affect a lasting change, we must change our identity or how we perceive ourselves to be. At first it could be seen as an impossible task but, if we look around us we see evidences that it is being done all the time.

It usually happens when someone has had enough and really decide to change. We see it when someone decides to end a bad relationship. At one point that person decided he or she was no longer the type of person who would stand the abuses. That person raised its standard, changed beliefs and identity and finally left.

Same process with the person who quit a dead end job, goes back to school and gets a new beginning or the person who decided that he would no longer be bullied, starts to assert himself and wins the respect of others.

It is very possible to affect major changes in our life is we are ready to raise our standards, change our beliefs and adopt a new self-image.

Is it easy? It is as hard or as easy as we want to make it out to be. It depends on our level of determination. If changes is something that we “should” do, chances are that it will not happen. But, if it’s something that we “must” do, change is inevitable and best of all, it will be easier than we ever thought possible.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

One thing that a good seminar will do is to get you boosted and fired up. You come back with the feeling that you could take on the world. You’ve taken notes, you’ve set up goals, you’ve made plans, you have that list of things to do, what you’re going to change and what steps you’re going to take to reach the next plateau in your professional life.

There are things that you will change and chances are that you will see a dramatic increase in business for a few weeks and maybe a month or two. But as time passes there is a tendency to get back to the level that you were before taking the seminar.

Easy come, easy go says the old proverb. And that is very true as far as seminars are concerned. Your state of mind has been changed for a period of time but the effect of the seminar has not been wired in your brain. So is bound to partially disappear with time.

Something else that those seminars will do is that you will meet some very successful people. If you play your cards right, you may bond with these exceptional people and friendships may develop. Those friendships will become tremendous assets.

It is a well known fact that you eventually gravitate to become like the people that you hang around with. Hang around with winners and you’ll become a winner, hang around with losers and down the drain you go. So, if you are smart, you will nurture the relation with those that you would like to model and emulate.

Seminars will also force you to expand your horizon and open new vistas for you. You will see and hear what others have done and you probably will realize that you have been setting your goals and objectives too low. After all, if the guys sitting next to you at the seminar could do it, why could you not also do it yourself? That old testosterone will kick in and chances are that it will be a wakeup call for you.

There is no question that seminars are great and if you are serious about succeeding you certainly should take some. There is money involved but it is well worth it if you follow these rules.

1. A good seminar will open the doors for you and will get you all fired up but that feeling has to be actively sustained through daily motivational sessions. Those sessions can be done by reading motivational material, listening to tapes, CDs or videos or even reading the notes that you took at the seminar. Enthusiasm is like a fire it will soon die unless it is regularly fed.

2. Keep in touch with the new friends or contacts that you’ve made at the seminar through networking at least once a week. Share you goals and objectives with these people. It will heighten your commitments It will make sure that you keep your eyes on the ball and go through with your plans.

3. Don’t try to teach what you’ve learned at the seminar to anyone. This may sound strange but it is a very important element that must be respected if you want to really benefit from your seminar.

The reason for that is the fact that you probably will be so impressed with what you got out of that seminar that you’ll feel that the whole world should know about it. So, instead of applying that technology yourself, you will waste your time and energy trying to teach it to other. Remember that you really “got” that information because you were in the seminar’s atmosphere and that is something that cannot be replicated in the settings of everyday life.

So, keep that technology and knowledge to yourself until you have achieved your goals and objectives… and then, go out and transform the world if you still want to do it.

Some seminar experiences are elementary and essential to pave the path to success. Whatever money you invest in yourself will never be lost and will pay great dividend, if, and only if, you follow the above rules.

It is said that what you don’t know cannot hurt you. That is false. Success is a science and not a fluke. The “how” to succeed has to be learned and a motivational seminar is a great place to start. It may only be the first step to success… but you know what they say about a journey of a thousand miles, it starts with the first step.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

In other word, we live in a society that is structured as a hierarchy where power increase as we gravitate toward the top. That rise to the top is done through various means such as wealth, education, talent, personal connections, charisma, good look and intimidation.

No one can deny the influence of intimidation as a tool to rise to the top but the subject is not often addressed simply because it is not seen as politically correct… however, hiding our head in the sand will not alter the truth. Intimidation works and it is being used all the time.

Heads of large corporations will use private planes and million dollar offices to impress which is simply a form of intimidation. Professional people will present their titles in the most conspicuous manner possible to impress and intimidate.

Naturally, if it is to be effective, intimidation has to be done in a subtle way… that is, in a way that the person being intimidated does not even know or realize that he or she is being intimidated. Such would be the case of the lawyer or doctor who use a vocabulary that is a bit above the average person’s usual rhetoric or the Ivy league alumni who subtly flashes his College ring.

Effective intimidation is also done by being subtly conspicuous in selective positions not readily available to the average person. Titles, ranks, reputation, general recognition and personal possessions are perfect examples. It is evident that Joe Smith will not exert the same influence as Dr. Joe Smith, PhD. Or that Henry McBride will be viewed through the same lens as General Henry McBride.

To be effective long term, intimidation has to be done on a subliminal level otherwise it will have a counterproductive effect. Overt aggression and transparent intimidation will illicit an adversarial position and destroy most chances of cooperation. That is where the iron fist in the velvet glove analogy comes in handy. A strong personality has attraction power but a menacing one will always repel. A leader and a winner needs cooperation and not confrontation and in that sense strength attracts so long as it offers a sentiment of protection that is devoid of apparent or possible fear.

If we are to be honest about it, intimidation, albeit subtle intimidation, is an effective tool to get us the things we want in life and to get our message across. So the subject deserves to be given due reflection and some consideration. Each person has some tools or talents that can be used to enhance personal influence in the business or professional world. These must be found and refined if we wish to get ahead.

Whether we like it or not, we live in hierarchies. There are the alphas, the beta, the gamma and it goes all the way down the line. The power is at the top and that power decreases as we go down the pyramid. That’s a fact of life. And it’s also a fact of life and a law of nature that every organism naturally seeks to gravitate that hierarchical pyramid. The quality of life depends on it.

Survival means competition and competition requires assertiveness which is the antithesis of submissiveness. The meek will inherit the earth may be a notion that is accepted in certain circles but it certainly is not factual. The games are never won on a consistent basis by the weaker team. To win, one must play to win, period.

Success is a science and not a fluke. To win one must use all the accessible tools and subtle intimidation happens to be one of those tools. Look at the leaders and the winners and see how they use it. Observe and learn. They are our best teachers.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

The word intimidation is used here because it conveys a more dynamic image than the word impress but both words could be used to define the process advocated in this page. The object of the process is to magnify the personal image to empower and give more credence to the person using it.

Knowledge and competence are great assets but in order to be fully exploited they must be presented with a striking or at least an exceptional personal image. William Sidis was probably the world smartest man with an IQ estimated to be between 250 and 300 yet he never amounted to anything. The man died at age 56, broke and alone. Why? For two reasons, he could not connect with his peers and had zero charisma or well packaged personal image.

Every society is composed of overlapping social hierarchies. Those who stand at the top of a particular hierarchy will dominate and those at the bottom will be dominated. Some hierarchy are important others are of secondary nature. Sidis was at the top of the academic hierarchy but he was at the bottom on the social hierarchy. His exceptional intelligence propelled him at the top of the academic world but his lack of a positive personal image kept him from ever achieving business professional or even artistic success.

To succeed, a person needs content (knowledge and abilities) and a positive and compelling personal image. Some have succeeded with out one of these two elements but they are the rare exceptions. That is especially true in the cases where people were lacking the proper personal image. The world is full of obscure genius who never made it because the could not “sell” to the world what they had to offer.

Life is perception and perception is mostly determined by images. It is not surprising that most successful people will be somewhat preoccupied with the image that they project. They understand its importance and its value.

In the animal world, the alpha male will always be the most impressive of the pack. Thanks to the level of his intelligence, man has been able to transcend that situation. The alpha male or female are not always the most impressive physically but they do project the superior image. And, whether you like it or not, that is the art of winning through intimidation.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

The process is completely automatic but will color all the subsequent encounters that we’ll be having with that person. Our first impression will be a lasting one. That is why it is said that it’s impossible to make a second good first impression when meeting someone.

The question almost never arises as to whether that first impression was accurate or not. Invariably we will trust the initial impression and that can lead to faulty evaluations and great learning experiences missed.

No one will argue the value of having an open mind which would also mean that an inquisitive doubt is vastly superior to an indolent assurance. Whenever we are certain about anything, we no longer question it. Not a very wise thing to do if we consider that everything changes all the time. What was true yesterday might not still be true today.

A true scientist will never assert that anything is the truth. A true scientist will always allow for the possibility that some unknown factor might not have been taken in an equation and that what we see a the truth might not be so. Absolutes are not accepted by scientists and they should not be accepted by the rational mind.

Robert Pirsig said in effect that, some scientific truths seem to last for centuries, others for less than a year. Scientific truth is not dogma, good for eternity, but a temporal quantitative entity that can be studied like anything else.

So if scientific truths are temporary, it would stand to reason that opinions, notions and beliefs could certainly stand some questioning from time to time.

Knowing that we might not know is vastly superior and more accurate than holding an obstinate assurance. Certainty might bring assurance but it can also lead to a close mind and the inability to learn, expand and grow.

It is said that the only things that will not change are death and taxes. It may have been said in jest but there is certainly a lot of truth in there. At least… I think so…

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

However in order to be able to emulate someone, we have to get to the core of that person’s being. We have to know what makes him tick. The central element, around which everything else revolve has to be uncovered and understood.

In the cases of people like Trump and Schwarzenegger it would be pride. They have to be the biggest and own the most. As far as they are concerned, life is a contest and a contest that they must win. That would be the pivot around which their life is built and from which everything else eradiate.

The need to win in their central motivating force. That’s where their energy and their drive comes from. Everything else is subordinated to that need.

In Obama’s case, it is different. He does not seem to be motivated by the desire for acquisition but much more by a desire and a need for self-expression. But that need does not seem to be motivated by megalomania which is usually the case when the need is manifested to such an extent.

So whatever factor is at the roots of Obama’s motivation and demeanor has to be deeper than the desire to acquire and win. The man is not primarily after honor or recognition. In other words, he is not motivated by a central need. So, the question then becomes, why would he work so hard if it is not to satisfy a need?

After pondering that question for a long time, I have come to the conclusion that Obama can be completely dedicated to a cause that will not serve to fulfill a need because he has found peace of mind. That’s the secret of Obama’s mystique and sucess. Peace of mind and nothing else.

With peace of mind you are totally free from fears and demands. With peace of mind you are free, there is no work, only play. There is no desire other than that of following the inner voice that will guide and inspire you.

I may be right and I may be wrong in my assumption. It does not matter. That’s what my reality is and that is all that matters as long as I’m concerned. How to emulate Obama is now clear for me. It can and it will be used to further my personal growth.

The saying, “No drama Obama.” now has a new meaning for me. All that I have to do now is to let it sink in through osmosis and, gradually, it will be wired in the neurons of my brain. Peace of mind will gradually supplant other less important considerations and will become a central source of power and energy.

Personal Development is a long and slow process. Luckily, if you have peace of mind, there is no rush. You are already happy exactly where you are right now. That’s the power of “peace of mind.” It’s a gift that was given me in embryonic form by my latest mentor, Barack Obama.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.

Basically we are not pragmatic creatures of logic. Dale Carnegie said, “When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.” Whether we like it or not, Carnegie was basically right. We start out primarily as emotional being but it does not mean that we don’t have the capacity to evolve and grow.

Growth is essential if we have any hope of influencing others into our way of thinking. A statement inspired by anger has no chance of being taken constructively. The anger comes through but the rhetoric falls flat. The message becomes overshadowed by the spirit that formulated it.

Effective communication is difficult enough that it does not need to be clouded any further by emotional knee jerk reactions.

People will be further swayed into holding previously held beliefs by emotional appeals but that technique will be counterproductive if a change of perspective is sought.

Anger is such a powerful emotion that the message that it sends completely obliterate the effectiveness of the words that accompanies it. Anger represents the possibility of danger and warding off that danger becomes the priority.

When trying to convince, the mature mind will reach beyond the world of negative emotions to get its message across. The mature mind understand that anger implies a sense of inadequacy and insecurity. Anger is the last resource when everything else has failed and danger is eminent. Not the hallmark of a strong and resourceful person.

Cerebral and not emotional. Reason before passion. The keywords in debating, the keywords when seeking to advance an agenda, implementing a point of view or changing someone’s mind. That is what great leaders do and they do it because they know that it works.

This Blog can be viewed and debated with the members of Personal Development For Personal Success Forums by clicking here.