6 Ways to Develop a Millionaire Mindset

Chasing money has remarkable little to do with getting rich.

So you want to become a millionaire entrepreneur. You’re not alone. Many dream of leaving their job and becoming their own boss, enjoying the various millionaire lifestyles we watch on TV. But there’s a difference between those who dream of becoming millionaires and those who do. And it begins and ends with mindset. If you don’t develop that mindset, you will continue to spin your wheels, working just as hard, but never going anywhere. 

Developing a millionaire mindset requires you to stretch your thinking. Start by developing the following six attributes.

1. Have vision.

If you aspire to be a millionaire at some point in your life, or you aspire to have a seven-figure business, you’ve got to get really clear on why you want it. Throughout my 20s, making money was my “why.” A number of business successes and failures taught me that it’s not about the money, but about what the money can do for you. 

Why do you want to be a millionaire? You must be really clear on your “why,” so that when times get tough, or you don’t want to wake up at 4 am or make another cold call, you are pulled to do it anyway.

What impact do you want to have? What is the positive impact of achieving your seven-figure goal, and even more compelling, what's the negative impact of not achieving it? When we make our vision and our “why” about others, there's an exponential increase in the inspired action that we'll take to achieve it.

Some of the greatest entrepreneurs in the world have very big missions. They know exactly where they're going and why they're going there. They are clear on the impact and the legacy they’re building. What is your impact? And what kind of legacy do you want to build? The greater you connect to your impact, the more willing you’ll be to do the uncomfortable things that lead to rapid growth.

In addition, millionaire business owners have a “now” mentality. Rather than putting things off, they do what is necessary now, no matter how scary or impossible it feels. Knowing why you’re doing what you're doing and being a “now” kind of person will push you to get what you want.

2. Love what you do.

When you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work. And, when you love what you do, money will inevitably flow to and through you. Even if, at the moment, you’re working in a career or job you don’t love, simply shifting the way you think about it can shift your entire mindset. Rather than bemoan your job, think of it as your banker that’s supporting you as you work to where you want to be. Speak life into your present situation and shift your way of being so that you cherish your job for providing you the means to pursue the work you love. 

3. Be solution-focused.

Be very clear on the problem your business solves. 

In addition, being solution-focused means that you see solutions where others see problems, despite your circumstance. So when the going gets tough and most people pack it up and go home, the millionaire mind knows that there's always a solution, and that, no matter how big the problem or challenge, it’s a blessing in disguise. Even failure reaps benefits that will serve you in the future.

By focusing on solutions rather than problems, you maintain a positive mindset and are not rattled by circumstances beyond your control that may derail others. The bigger you grow as an entrepreneur, the greater the pressure, the responsibility and the problems.

Millionaires are excited by their challenges because they know that abundance lies on the other side.  Further, people who see solutions attract others who seek solutions.

4. Continually hone your leadership skills.

Focusing on your leadership skills is going to dramatically shift and change everything in your life and business. Grab the book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and internalize it. The more you grow your leadership skills, the more you're going to attract other like-minded leaders into your business.

One of my favorite irrefutable laws of leadership, the law of the lid, teaches that you are the lid on your container. In other words, you are the one who limits the growth of your business. By enhancing your leadership skills, you will blow the lid off your business. 

5. Be growth-oriented.

Millionaire business owners endlessly pursue personal growth and development. 

First and foremost, get a coach. My life was impacted more by having a coach than by anything else I've ever done in business or in life, in general.

Secondly, be coachable. Often what happens when you seek wise counsel is that you put up a wall between you and the feedback you’re receiving. Know that a coach sees your business and life from an outside perspective that you cannot. Trust that your coach has wisdom and a full picture perspective that you just don’t have. The more primed you are to hear and assimilate feedback, the faster and farther your business will grow.

6. Flip your thinking from doing to being.

People, especially entrepreneurs, are constantly doing in order to have stuff -- a new car, house, clients or whatever it is that will make them feel significant and good about themselves. They believe that, once they become millionaires, they will truly be significant and have done something worthwhile. But that’s backwards. If you truly want to have a million dollars, you must first be and think like a millionaire. By doing so, you will attract the necessary resources to you.

It’s not about doing something in order to have something or in order to be someone. You must be someone first; someone who has what she needs in order to take the inspired action. To become a millionaire, you must be a millionaire who thinks like a millionaire, who has what a millionaire has, in order to take the inspired action that a millionaire takes.

Source by Nick Unsworth

5 Unforgettable Leadership Qualities for Successful Entrepreneurs

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Entrepreneurs are a different breed of leader. Renegades, rebels, world changers, innovators, black sheep, risk takers, workaholics -- these are just a few of the names we are called by both those who love us, and those who don’t understand us. 

One thing successful entrepreneurial leaders have in common is a high degree of emotional intelligence, or the capacity to be aware of, control and express our emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships fairly and empathetically. It can be argued that emotional intelligence (EQ) is more important to your happiness, health and success over your intellect (IQ).

The following is my personal list of the five pillars of leadership for entrepreneurs, which is probably quite different than you would expect. As you grow your business and make your mark on the world in your own unique way, I think you will find it useful to keep these qualities top-of-mind when defining your own leadership identity. These pillars are fundamental and unforgettable for success.

1. Responsibility: If it is to be it’s up to me. 

Personally, I like to look for a “win-win” scenario in every situation, no matter what. In order to create this win-win, especially in challenging interactions, I always remind myself to come from a place of respect and love. It doesn’t matter what frame of mind the other party is in, I get to choose my actions and reactions.

Mother Teresa exemplified this sort of leadership responsibility and captured it eloquently in this quote written on the wall in her home for children in Calcutta:

“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.  What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.  Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.”

2. Possibility: 100 percent is possible 100 percent of the time. 

You will be tempted to say no to opportunities you don’t want to pass up when you are feeling overwhelmed. You are the master of your emotions and your reactions and when you come from a mindset of being unstoppable, you will find a way to make it all happen. 

This is the hustle, the difference between being the best you can be and half-assing it. If you want to say yes to an opportunity but feel you have too much on your plate, don’t doubt, just take action and find the support you need to make it happen. Leave everything on the field, every day.

3. Integrity: My vision and my commitments dictate my ways of being and my actions. 

We are defined by our vision and our commitments (our word). When you revisit your goals, mission statement and vision daily you will be in alignment with your highest potential more often. Naturally, there will be days when circumstances get the best of you or throw you off track, but if you stay attuned to your vision you will rise above the petty details time and time again.

4. Urgency: I live as if my life and the lives of others depend on it. 

This is a precious life. Every second wasted will never come back.

When I wake up I am thankful for another day to experience it and to share my gifts. When you go all out and share your passion with others, what distinguishes a leader from the average person is the sense of urgency to do everything we can with this one day, this one hour. You may not have tomorrow so you need to take action now. 

5. Risk: Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. 

The only way you become an entrepreneur is to take a risk. You risk your time, safety, money, security, reputation and so much more. So what? Let fear be your compass. Follow it all the way through to the end and see to it that your business and your life are nothing short of extraordinary.

Source by Lewis Howes

11 Ways Successful People Deal With People They Don't Like

Everyone has to interact with someone they don't get along with every once in a while, so be prepared the next time it happens to you.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter people with whom you disagree. There are some people you instantly click with and others you can take or leave. And then, there are the select few you just can’t stand!

How can you get along with someone you find difficult, distasteful or downright obnoxious? Well, it helps to remember that you aren’t perfect either. Remember that whatever you might feel about a person, someone else might feel the same about you. We’re all human, after all. We all have our faults.

It’s usually possible just to avoid people you don’t get along with. However, at some point you may have to work with someone you dislike. That may seem tough, but you can work with (almost) anyone if you just keep a few things in mind. In fact, by using these tips, you might find that a challenging person can still offer useful insights. They may even be able to help you see things from a different perspective.

Successful people understand that if you restrict who you can work with you are only limiting yourself. Use these 11 strategies to empower yourself to deal with even the most difficult people.

Source by Deep Patel

Recognize People for Who They Are, Not Who You Want Them to Be

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Several years ago, a colleague gave me what turned out to be very enlightening feedback on how I deal with others.

“Jim,” he said, “you need to recognize people for who they are, not for what you want them to be.”

Hmm. I had to soak that one in, to tell you the truth. It was meant to be constructive criticism, but I wasn’t sure how to take it.

“I know,” I said as I nodded along in agreement, although not really knowing what I was exactly agreeing to. I was a bit confused.

But he got me thinking, and analyzing, and marinating.

It turns out that I was nodding along because it was true -- I do tend to look at people for what I want them to be. I want them to be excellent, and I want them to excel, and I want them to contribute to the team beyond anyone’s expectations.

I want them to be more than they thought they were capable of, and I want them to push the team forward.

I’m not sure that the comment was meant to be a compliment, but I have to ask, “Is there something wrong with that?”

Maybe.

Perhaps it’s better to recognize people for who they are. Perhaps it’s better to have a full understanding of their skill sets and a proper sense of what they are able to contribute. In that manner, so my colleague coached me, you don’t set up people for failure or push them beyond their capabilities. Perhaps it’s better to keep them in their “swim lanes,” as he continued with his feedback to me.

Maybe.

I get it. Maximizing the current skills of the team to collectively accomplish a specific goal is Management 101. Meshing talents is how projects get down seamlessly. It’s how you make deadlines and get tasks accomplished.

I get it.

But I want to do more than just manage.

I want to inspire growth. I want to help people advance. I want my team to do more. I want to lead and inspire.

Is there anything wrong with that?

Maybe.

If the person wants it, then all is ok. But what if they don’t? That I now totally get, hands down.

Good leaders and good managers know the mix of the team in front of them and know how to handle each person both collectively and individually. We need to know each individual’s goals and aspirations and match your own expectations to their wants. Some you can push higher, and some you can keep blissfully happy in their current role.

The key is to know when and how.

I love a good coaching moment. It’s like a gift to have someone give you a window into your own perceptions. It opens your mind.

I know I learned a lot from this colleague, although he was very black and white. I’m not sure that the world works that way. There’s no black and white here, just a lot of gray.

So, I will strive to surf blissfully happy in that gray. Happily. Pushing some but also making sure all are engaged and productive -- on their terms, not mine.

Source by Jim Joseph

Stop Spending Time With Toxic People

The people around you rarely have a neutral effect on you -- they either facilitate your accomplishments or undermine them.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In his book No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs, business coach and consultant Dan Kennedy reveals the steps behind making the most of your frantic, time-pressured days so you can turn time into money. In this edited excerpt, the author explains the people you spend time with affect your productivity and why you should carefully choose who to associate with.

One of the most significant things you can control is association -- your choices of who you permit into your world, who you give time to or invest time with, and who you look to for ideas, information and education. The people around you rarely have a neutral effect. They either facilitate your accomplishment, they undermine it, or they sabotage it outright.

The first useful association tactic is the elimination of toxic people and saboteurs. It's not an easy thing to face facts about a friend, family member, long-time employee or long-time vendor when they are, in some way, interfering with or disapproving of your accomplishment. It's important to face these facts and to act on them because the more time you spend with people who are unhelpful, unsupportive, disrespectful, envious, resentful, dysfunctional or outright damaging to you, the less value all your time has.

These people don’t just harm the minutes you and they are in the same place. Few people can so perfectly compartmentalize that they can lock every thought, assertion and act of a toxic person in a little mind box and without leakage into other mind boxes. Paraphrasing a Chinese proverb (I found in a fortune cookie), if you lie down with mongrel dogs, even for a short nap, you wake up with fleas -- and they ride with you wherever you go.

Ideas, beliefs, opinions and habits work just like that. Even if you're associating only occasionally or briefly with someone who is intellectually or emotionally toxic or someone who is feckless and inept, it’s enough time for the fleas to leap from them to you, burrow in and be carried away by you to subtly affect your performance and productivity. If your creativity or constructive thinking or work performance is thus diminished, so is the value of your time.

People who are detrimental for you to associate with are not necessarily of evil intent. They may all be “good people,” but that doesn’t mean they’re good for you. Good chocolate cake is not good for a diabetic. In fact, it’s poison. Associating with somebody who is always pushing it to you, saying “Just have a tiny piece” is just as suicidal as baking it for yourself.

There are lots of ways a person can be toxic and poisonous to you. I’ve had clients describe how recurring disputes with a particular employee were mentally exhausting but couldn’t be helped because otherwise, that person was a great asset. The “otherwise” is a big problem. Many small businesses wind up with a ruthlessly defensive key person who goes into murder mode anytime an attempt is made to add a second person but is “otherwise” terrific.

There's the “we tried that before” guy. If it were up to him, we’d light the place with candles because Edison would have been limited to one try. There’s the “constructive critic,” always making you feel inadequate or undeserving, in the guise of being a cautionary ally worrying over you stubbing a toe.

On the other hand, constructive association with creative, inspiring, encouraging people can do a great deal to bolster your performance, thus making your time more valuable. Each minute of your time is made more or less valuable by the condition of your mind, and it is constantly being conditioned by association.

The entrepreneur is particularly susceptible to gaining or losing power by association because he has so many diverse responsibilities and is often operating under pressure, duress and urgency. Playing this game in a compromised mental state, weakened or wounded by poor ideas and attitudes seeded into the mind by association, is extremely difficult. Playing it strengthened and empowered by rich ideas and attitudes seeded into the mind by association can make the difficult easy.

Simply put, you want to deliberately reduce and restrict the amount of your time left vulnerable to random thought or association, and deliberately, sharply reduce the amount of time given to association with people who won’t make any productive contribution and may do harm. Does that mean you can only spend time with people you are in complete philosophical agreement with? No. In fact, such isolationism can be dangerous. But it does mean you should avoid association with people who believe and promulgate beliefs diametrically opposed to “success orientation.”

You want to deliberately increase the amount of your time directed at chosen thinking and input, and constructive, productive association. You want to associate with strivers and achievers, with winners and champions. This is an uplifting force that translates into peak performance, which makes all your time more valuable.

Source by Dan S. Kennedy

Don't Blame Others -- Learn From Their Mistakes

It might be someone else's fault, but it's your responsibility.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It's human to try to allocate blame on someone or something else -- to think one of your employees dropped the ball or that luck simply wasn't on your side. It's natural.

But it isn't productive. It won't help you or your company if you simply shrug off failure as someone else's fault, because you won't learn from it that way. Entrepreneur Network partner Business Rockstars spotlights Robert Sillerman, who explains that instead of blaming someone else you should realize everything is your responsibility. He says if you're truly passionate about your project, you'll take active steps to improve and make sure that mistake never happens again. 

Otherwise, you're just making excuses.

Click play to learn more.

Source

The Many Logical Reasons to Lead With Your Gut Instinct

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You hear it all the time in leadership books for entrepreneurs: "Lead with your gut!" "Follow your instinct!" "Listen to your inner voice!" Sure, this kind of advice is inspiring and can usually motivate you to get up and chase your dreams or accomplish the next goal. But once that magical dose of inspiration wears off, how often do you abandon that inner voice and go back to your old habits of second-guessing yourself and going against what your gut is telling you?

In this article, my goal is not to be inspirational but rather to give you logical -- and rational -- reasoning for following your gut in hopes that once the inspiration from those Jim Rohn and Steve Jobs’ quotes wear off, you’ll stick to your guns. Hopefully you will continue to listen to that inner voice as you market to your customers, build your team and make decisions as the leader of your company.

First, let’s discuss how the brain works. The human brain, as it is today, is the most sophisticated organ on the planet and has evolved immensely from the primitive brain our ancestors had. The brain is like an onion with layers on layers that have grown over time. In the middle of the brain is the oldest part, the brain stem. Reciprocally, out at the front of the brain, or the outer-most onion layer, is the frontal cortex, the newest part of the brain.

The frontal cortex, the latest and greatest addition to the brain, is basically what’s responsible for making humans so sophisticated. This frontal cortex is responsible for things such as logic, critical thinking, learning and language. This means, because I have a frontal cortex, I can write this article and you can read it. This part of the brain is often referred to as the conscious mind, because of its association with logic and reasoning.

Back in the more primitive part of the brain, directly connected with the brainstem, is the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia is the place in the brain where all habits, feelings, emotions, experiences, memories and instincts are stored. This is often called the subconscious mind, and it is where all decision-making takes place -- not some, all. Now according to Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit, all learning takes place in the frontal cortex. However, once this learned behavior becomes a habit, the neurological connection responsible for this behavior moves from the frontal cortex to the basal ganglia, where it is stored as a habit.

The reason for this move is two-fold. First, it alleviates the mind from over-thinking for every common task and getting stuck in paralysis. Second, it is always freeing up space in the frontal cortex, so we can continue learning new things and take in new experiences. This is why you don’t have to think about which shoe to tie first, what hand to hold your toothbrush with or how to drive every morning on the way to work. What this also means is that most of the subconscious mind -- the part of the brain that drives decision making -- is made from past experiences and skills previously learned, which went on to become habits. So when you’re making a gut decision that feels right, many times, it’s not solely based on feelings but rather on sound logic and past experience. You just don’t notice it at the time.

Let’s look at how this works in your customers by starting with a personal example. Have you ever walked past a restaurant and said to yourself, “Oh this place looks good, let’s eat here,” then proceeded to walk in and eat there? Let me ask, what part of that decision was rational? Nothing! You had no idea what kind of food the restaurant served, how much it was going to cost or if the service would be any good -- and you had a total of zero recommendations from friends to eat there.

As you see, that decision was completely illogical. However, chances are you were right about the restaurant -- the food was good, service was exceptional and you’ll certainly be back soon. How is this so? Well, because gut feelings are products of past experiences. Chances are you had eaten at similar restaurants in the past that looked, felt, smelled and had the same type of people inside as the place you thought looked good. That’s where the gut feeling came from. That’s also why people know within three or four seconds if they like a song, know within five seconds of walking into a store whether they’ll buy something or not and know within 30 seconds of meeting someone new if they are attracted to them or not. These gut feelings stem from past firsthand experiences -- they are not merely whimsical decisions.

Now, let’s look at your team. Believe it or not, your team is made up of humans too, and thus their brains work the same way as your customers. This means that like your customers, they make decisions based on feelings, and intuition, not logic and reasoning. At Buddytruk for example, the team had a great internal debate about a year ago on whether we should add a feature in the app that allowed for scheduling deliveries or not. We saw that a majority of our users were trying to schedule a pickup, so naturally, it made sense that we build in a scheduling feature. However, it just didn’t feel right to the team, so we ultimately decided not to do it.

How come? Well, we believe that five years from now, every service imaginable will be on-demand -- including Buddytruk -- and thus to spend time and money building out a feature that we’ll eventually discard just didn’t make sense. So instead of listening to our customers -- the logical thing to do -- we continued to push forward with the on-demand service. After a few months, we found that most of our users who did want to schedule their deliveries wanted to do so not because they preferred scheduling, but because they wanted the security of knowing a driver would be available when they needed one.

As we grew, and our customers began to trust that someone would be available, they began not only to adopt but brag about the on-demand service that Buddytruk provides. In fact, most of our partners say it's the feature they like the most. When we started out, close to 80 percent of our users tried to schedule their pickups, but now, less than 5 percent do. Again, the team’s decision not to offer scheduling came from a gut feeling, not a rational decision to listen to our customers and pivot. The truth is, however, that this gut feeling probably came from our team’s several positive past experiences with other on-demand companies like Lyft, Instacart or Luxe Valet.

Finally, let’s turn the spotlight to you. As the leader of your team, you’re the source of direction and strategic guidance for your team. So although your customers, and your team, think and act illogically, you should do the opposite and be the voice of logic and reason, right? Wrong. To do so would be to waste the most important asset you have to offer your team -- your vision.

Recall the restaurant example, and how it just felt right to walk in and eat there, although you had no logical reason to support that decision. It felt right, because your past experiences at other restaurants and decisions made about where to eat programmed you to believe, with high probability, that this restaurant would be to your liking. Similarly, all your accumulated knowledge and experiences, from the books you’ve read to the people you’ve met to the places you’ve traveled and the hobbies you’ve kept or forgotten, were necessary to the birth of your vision, which is now your company.

You, and only you, had the exact amount and diversification of experiences necessary needed to connect the dots when that eureka moment struck and you said, “Ah ha! I have an idea that can change the world.” That’s why, when it comes to the major decisions about how to run your business, you should listen to your gut not only because it will generate better results, but because ultimately, the success of your business depends entirely on whether you or not you do so.

Therefore, only by following your gut can you bring to life your vision for that product, or business, that just feels right to you, your team, and ultimately, your customers. And only if your business feels right to your customers will they eat at your restaurant, wear your clothes or use your mobile application. Thus, when it comes to making major decisions about your company, do the logical thing -- think illogically.

Source by Brian Foley

12 Millionaire Habits to Start Making Serious Money Soon and Build Wealth in a Hurry

Get-rich-quick schemes rarely work but doing the right things every day rarely fails.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

There's a mindset that's prevalent these days. It's one of instant gratification in an on-demand society that looks for quick results with very little effort. Entrepreneurs know that life doesn't work that way. You need to put in the sweat equity if you're looking to gain serious results. 

When it comes to making money, certain good habits push us forward while some bad habits deter us from getting rich or even making any semblance of serious money. 

Clearly, many people are making money and some are making lots, but if they mismanage it and pilfer it away on mindless pursuits, building the proverbial empire is going to be far harder.

Making money is one thing, but creating wealth is an entirely different thing. Obviously, most people can quickly make an extra $100 by selling used items or doing a small gig on a site like Fiverr, but if you're looking for the kind of cash that can make a significant difference in your life, embrace these 12 millionaire habits. They are sure to drive you in the right direction. You'll find ways to create real wealth by beckoning financial opportunity and potential windfalls through a positive mindset and a sound emotional, spiritual and mental state. That is quite literally the most powerful mixture of habits that exists for entrepreneurs. 

1. Always add value.

Value makes the world go round. Everyone wants to get value out of an exchange. The most successful entrepreneurs in the world know that if you're going to make lots of money, then you need to always be adding value. Always seek to add more value to whatever services, information or products you're selling.

2. Wake up early.

The early morning hours are replete with quiet solitude. It's when you can refine your thoughts and implement your plans before all the distractions of the day. If you are constantly dealing with interruptions throughout your day, find your happy place in the morning. Wake up early so you can plan whatever will advance you toward your goals.

3. Exercise

Making money isn't just about implementing good career or business habits. You need to be fit emotionally and physically to fire on all pistons. Exercise in the morning, even if briefly. Exercising gets the blood flowing and oxygenation to the cells, helping you to think clearly and be laser-focused. This habit is implemented by some of the world's richest entrepreneurs.

4. Daily goal setting.

You have your long-term goals in place but, if you're looking to make serious money and quickly, you have to set goals every single day. These are milestones on your way to your biggest and most outlandish goals. Do this when you wake up, first thing in the morning, so that you stay on track and on target. Decide what will move you closer to those financial goals by the end of the day, then go out there and do it.

5. Effective time management

Everyone in this world has the same amount of time. The 24 hours of each day is life's greatest equalizer. It doesn't matter what we do, where we're from or how much money we have, we all have the same amount of time.

Effective time management is a must for those looking to get ahead. Whether your goal is to earn a lot of money over time or you just need to earn a little bit of extra cash quickly, properly managing your finite time is what makes it possible to succeed.

6. Networking

Networking is one of the most important habits to have in life. The sayings go, your network is your net worth, and if you lie down with dogs, you'll definitely come up with fleas. Reach out to others and find out what you can do to add value to their world. Don't ask for anything in return, especially not right away. Just insert yourself into the mix, and eventually the opportunities will find you.

7. Innercising 

John Assaraf, who built up a billion-dollar real estate business and is featured in the movie The Secret, preaches the importance of "innercising" in his NeuroGym system. Innercising is mental exercise to reprogram subliminal conditioning deeply embedded in our subconscious. The goal is to frame the mind with a positive financial outlook which attracts money and opportunities to our lives, rather than pushing them away.

8. Healthy diet

Will eating healthier help you to attract more wealth or make more money in the interim? You can bet it will. Sound body, sound mind. To have the precision thinking and focus of a highly-trained athlete, you need to eat healthily. Our bodies spend a large amount of their energy on processing foods. Unhealthy eating leaves us with less energy for achieving our goals, whatever they are.

9. Saving and investing.

Obviously, saving and investing is fundamental to building wealth. It won't happen as fast as you'd like, but the larger component at play is having moment-of-the-opportunity cash to invest when something requires your attention immediately. When you have capital and are no longer living paycheck-to-paycheck, you're ready to earn more money when the opportunity presents.

10. Mindfulness

If you play a cutthroat game and walk all over people, few opportunities will come your way. Being mindful and respectful of others attracts opportunities that you can eventually convert into cash. Be mindful about how you act and what you say so it doesn't come back to bite you in the butt.

11. Work with a mentor.

Mentors are great for helping you to earn extra income, whether small or large. A mentor who's achieved outlandish goals in your industry will offer guidance to help you get where you're looking to go. Find a mentor and work with them daily. Ask for their help and guidance as you navigate the choppy waters towards success.

12. Contribute to others

Contribution is born from an abundant mindset. When you are sated and have enough for yourself, look to contribute. You can trick your mind into an abundant mindset by simply contributing your time to others. You don't have to give money. Only time. It's a subconscious mind trick that moves you away from scarcity to attract more money and opportunities into your life.

Source by R.L. Adams

10 Ways to Develop a Success-Oriented Mindset

Confidence empowered entrepreneurs to take decisive action, and decisive action is what builds confidence.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Take a minute to imagine an entrepreneur you deeply respect. Think of that person at the start of his or her career, working on a product or service that will eventually make it big. Regardless of whom you’ve chosen, chances are the entrepreneur in question had a success-oriented mindset from the outset.

Entrepreneurs who lack confidence or who have a pessimistic mindset will usually fail. It’s hard to motivate people to invest money in a new idea or work for a fledgling company if the entrepreneur behind it lacks confidence. But having a successful mindset isn’t just helpful for those who are launching a new venture. It can also help readers from all walks of life to make smarter decisions that result in better personal or business outcomes.

Here are 10 strategies that can help you develop a winning mindset.

1. Put yourself in challenging new situations.

You gain confidence by overcoming challenges, but when you fail to put yourself in challenging new situations because you assume the outcome won’t be positive, you will be unable to grow.

Instead, develop a list of exciting challenges you’re interested in overcoming. They could include exploring a foreign city on your own or enrolling in a challenging business course at your local university. Even volunteering to help with a new project at the office can provide a challenging situation that will foster growth.

Whatever the challenge you select, be sure it is something that interests you; otherwise, it may be difficult to stay focused along the way.

2. Be open to finding a mentor.

Mentorship is often discussed with regard to self-improvement and business success. But many professionals assume that finding a mentor is as simple as asking a senior professional for help.

However, as Sheryl Sandberg argues in the Harvard Business Review, finding a mentorship doesn’t work that way. Instead, professionals need to put themselves in situations where they can build real relationships with senior business leaders.

In time, after an existing relationship has formed, it may be appropriate to ask a senior professional for mentorship. That means readers will need to make themselves available to build professional relationships before they can secure a mentor who can help them grow.

3. Think of failure as a learning opportunity.

Failure is an outstanding learning opportunity. If you find yourself succeeding frequently, it may be a sign that you aren’t challenging yourself enough.

Develop a mindset that views failure as an experience to learn from. By reframing failure, you’ll find it is easier to take risks. Adopting this mindset will leave you less prone to anxiety, which is key to creating a winning attitude.

4. Keep a folder of your proudest moments.

While it’s important to focus on the present and future instead of the past, maintaining a collection of moments you’re proud of can serve as a helpful reminder when you’re feeling down. By periodically reviewing past successes, you may find inspiration for future projects. At the very least, you can use past successes as a way to build long-term confidence.

5. Surround yourself with top talent.

Environment plays a significant role in creating our mindsets. After all, we’re social creatures and are influenced by those around us. Surround yourself with talented individuals who can teach you new things and who can encourage you to grow personally and professionally.

If you’re involved in the hiring process at your organization, look for prospective employees who are better or smarter than you. This will help create an environment that can consistently encourage you to form a successful mindset.

6. Find time to disconnect from stressors.

The average American works more hours per week than his or her counterparts in other developed countries. Furthermore, the average number of hours worked has been steadily growing since the 1980s. Unfortunately, work-related stress has been creeping up at the same time.

Readers should find time to disconnect from work-related stress that can make it difficult to adopt a success-oriented mindset. Traveling can be a good way to disconnect, as can adopting a daily meditation practice.

7. Develop a simple morning routine.

According to lifestyle gurus like Tim Ferriss, we are shaped by our morning routines. That means it’s important for readers interested in developing a new mindset to develop new habits as well.

Since your morning has the power to make or break your entire day, consider creating a simple morning routine that positions you to have a successful day.

For example, waking up earlier than normal can give you time to focus on yourself in ways that might have otherwise been impossible. With the extra time you can go to the gym or develop a meditation practice to reduce stress, as mentioned above.

8. Set time-bound and achievable personal goals.

More than 90 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail. If you’re serious about changing your mindset, you should take a different approach to goal setting. Instead of relying on a New Year’s resolution, create time-bound goals that you know are achievable from the outset. Approaching goal setting from this angle will help to build your confidence, which in turn will reshape your thinking.

9. Listen to your instincts.

Part of developing a winning mindset is learning to trust your instincts. According to the Harvard Business Review, we are usually capable of making smart decisions when we rely on our gut instincts.

Confidence in your instincts is a critical component of business success. While it’s usually ideal to rely on research and data to make decisions, there are a variety of scenarios in when empirical evidence is unavailable or inconclusive. In these situations, people with a winning mindset are comfortable making decisions with their gut. This serves them well in the long run.

10. Avoid stagnation.

If you feel as though you aren’t learning new things in your personal or professional life, it’s time to change it up. Avoid stagnation in order to continue to grow. This will help you to face new challenges and overcome new obstacles.

Developing a successful mindset can take time. To get started, focus on learning new skills and putting yourself in new situations. By overcoming adversity, you’ll begin to develop faith in yourself.

Establish morning routines and build a network of talented colleagues and mentors in order to avoid stagnation and achieve moments you can be proud of.

Source by Deep Patel

10 Behaviors of Genuinely Successful People

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

We live in a strange time. People can call themselves anything they want and get away with it. If you believe what they write about themselves, pretty much everyone’s a CEO, an entrepreneur, a leader, a startup founder, an award-winning keynote speaker, a best-selling author, or a self-made millionaire.   

That’s how it seems, anyway. In reality, the only people these phonies fool are fools. Granted, there must be a lot of fools out there, but you don’t have to be one of them.

Look, the world is full of successful people. As a veteran of the high-tech industry, I live and work in Silicon Valley. You can’t walk down University Avenue in Palo Alto without bumping into at least four or five CEOs and VCs – not the fake kind, but the real deal. Unfortunately, you’d never know it. They’re not that easy to recognize.

The question is, how can you tell the difference between truly accomplished executives and business leaders who have something to offer you and the “fake it ‘til you make it” shysters who spew all sorts of BS all over the blogosphere, social media, and self-help business books? Simple. By their behavior. This is how real successful people behave. 

They run real companies.

They have real careers. They run real companies with real products and customers. They have real experience managing businesses and leading organizations that you’ve probably heard of. If all their bio talks about are books, seminars, and speeches, they’re not the real deal.   

They love their work.

If you ask Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, or Satya Nadella what they do for a living, all you’ll hear about is Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft. They’re passionate about their work and proud of their company’s products and achievements. Success may come with the territory, but it’s not what drives them.

They do things their own way.

The way they lead and the culture they build is never copied and pasted from somewhere else. Sure, they have mentors and sometimes stand on the shoulders of giants, but they still do things their own way, follow their own instincts, and have little patience for the status quo.  

They know what they don’t know.

The vast majority of accomplished people possess humility. The ones who don’t usually pay for their hubris, sooner or later. That’s not to say that CEOs don’t have strong egos, but when you’re smart and experienced, you simply know that you don’t have all the answers … and that anyone who acts like he does is full of it.

They have common sense.

If it sounds too good to be true, it is. If it sounds utopian, it isn’t real. If it sounds like wishful thinking, it’s nothing but fluff. If it’s a quick fix, a magic bullet, a miracle cure, or some personal habit, it’s just a foolish fad. Successful people are savvy. They think for themselves. They have common sense. And they can smell BS a mile away.

They’re never satisfied with their own accomplishments.

Great CEOs and VCs are usually perfectionists who are never satisfied with their own achievements. They always want to do better – to build the next product customers love or fund the next great startup. They know that business success is about growth; it’s a marathon without a finish line.     

They’re not super-visible.

Of course there are successful people who are highly visible – but they’re rare. Most are not the slightest bit interested in being famous. If fame and fortune is what drives you, I’m afraid you’re going to be gravely disappointed with the outcome.

They’re not trying to sell you anything.

Real executives and business leaders may write a book or a blog, and after they retire they may give a speech or two, but in general, they made their living running and growing their companies and selling products, not getting you to break out your wallet to hear their pearls of wisdom.  

They don’t self-promote.

They don’t have to. Their careers, their accomplishments, the success of their companies speak for themselves. You’ll never hear them breath a word about how much money they have or make. They tend to be fairly modest. There are some flashy exceptions but they’re few and far between. 

They don’t preach.

They’re generally not inspirational or motivational – unless, of course, you’re one of their employees or customers. They don’t think they possess the key to success, happiness, productivity, or any of that nonsense. They may offer lessons learned from real world experience, but they don’t do shtick. If it sounds gimmicky, then it is.

Look at it this way. How well you do in life is based entirely on the work you do, the decisions you make, and the actions you take. When all is said and done, you want to look back and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. You want to feel good about the life you led and the impact you had on others. And you want to know you lived your own life on your own terms.

None of that will ever come to pass if you’re a fool who follows phonies.

Source by Steve Tobak

5 Traits of Successful Leaders

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Whether you are a small business or startup, restaurateur or retailer, the difference between success and failure across industries stems from one word: leadership. Those in charge truly set the stage for success. Without the presence of a strong leader the landscape is weighed down by demotivated staff, undelivered promises and disappointed stakeholders. From my experience, the most successful leaders boast these five prominent qualities:

1. Do what you say.

Early on in my career, a senior partner advised me to never make promises to clients we couldn't deliver. While my colleague was primarily concerned with protecting the firm’s reputation, I was learning a deeper lesson about my own integrity and how hard I would work to stick to my word.

A true leader practices what they preach and comes through on promises with tangible delivery. Do what you say. Lead with integrity to build trust among your employees, and you’ll see that others are inspired to do the same.

2. Give credit, take blame.

Author and entrepreneur Arnold Glasow once said, “a good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” Being an impactful leader means having the emotional maturity to take accountability when things go wrong. On the flip side, when a leader achieves success, he or she shouldn’t take the glory, but instead credit the accomplishment to the team. Once a task is complete, be sure to give colleagues the proper recognition; praising achievements inspires workers to continue raising the bar and garnering sustainable results.

3. Be the leader you want to follow.

Exemplary leaders never ask anything of their teams that they’re not willing to do themselves. By its very definition, to lead means to go first and show the way. Everything an executive does should dial back to the core values of the company. Know the details -- not to micromanage -- but to develop an understanding of what you are asking folks to do. When presented with a leader's total commitment, resilience in the face of opposition, optimism and a can-do attitude, team members will be inclined to follow the lead. Inspiring from within will sculpt dedicated employees who are motivated to succeed. 

4.  Head up, shoulders back. 

To achieve success, a leader must be passionate about their mission. After all, how will you ever attract others to your company if you don’t believe in it yourself? If a leader is drowning in self-doubt or worry, the entire team’s confidence will quickly erode. Successful leaders know how to keep a cool exterior and stay level-headed, even when dealing with adversity. No matter what’s going on in the background, impactful leaders remain confident, serving as both a positive example and a constant assurance for their team.

5. Encourage responsibility through accountability.

Essential elements of accountability are to ensure that roles are clearly understood, expectations are clearly set and success is defined up front and then measured. It's not what you expect but what you inspect that will get done. Be sure those to be held to account also have the authority to get it done and have a clear sense for how success will be measured. Then hold folks to account for their delivery. 

Source by Norm Merritt