This is Roxana Hannah. Thank you for being on MLSP’s Total Transformation Mindset for Success webinar.
Who am I and why am I hosting this call? I joined Brian Fanale, one of the MLSP co-founders, in a direct sales company when MLSP was 3 months old. It was December 2008 and I was snowed in. That snowstorm was one of the best things that ever happened because through a fortunate series of events it’s brought us here together right now. I started working for MLSP the next month in January of 2009. I’m hosting this call because mindset development has been a passion of mine for over 20 years. It just so happens that for the past 6 mos. I’ve dedicated all my free time, and have been digging deep into mindset to understand its specific affect on increases in Success. I’m researching how mindset increases success not only for individuals but as leaders and as an organization. When the opportunity arose to start a mindset call I offered to host it because I have been pursuing my passion.
That’s the beauty of MLSP. From the Co-Founders to corporate to our membership community – we believe in standing behind and building from our personal strengths. We don’t work positions in this company we’re able to excel at or develop into our greater potential. The Co-Founders believe in mindset.
Although “mindset for success” is the specific goal and success is mentioned throughout this call multiple time I’d like you to also hold the word PROSPERITY in your mind. I prefer prosperity because it has a broader range and speaks more of flourishing in all aspects of our lives.
Over the last 3 years I’ve seen people struggle with the same issues: they’re overwhelmed, they’re stuck, they need more money. We all want more freedom. We all want more money. We all want more time; we want to be in control of our destiny; we want more peace. Great let’s do it: let’s build an abundant life, side by side, arms intertwined and let’s move forward and upward. Sounds terrific, doesn’t it? Sounds as great as all those quotes floating around the internet we read everyday. But it’s not as easy as saying it. We all want success and we will take the steps to achieve more success but mindset development is the bigger picture. Creating meaning & identifying our purpose in what we do is where we start. But even before that we dive a little deeper and start with the most important person on this call and that person is YOU.
The fact that you’re here shows you GET IT. You get that mindset development is key. The majority of the famous zillionaires, Steve Jobs, Sir Richard Branson, Guy Kawasaki, or almost anyone who’s hit a level of success they’ve been striving for will tell you their financial shift happened once they started placing their focus inward.
Steve Jobs speaks of following our passions, Sir Richard Branson said the key to his success was exercise, Guy Kawasaki says Meaning Makes Money. None of them say, “once I achieved my riches, I then became happy, I then was set free.” It’s the steps we take along this journey that matter. I’m grateful to see so many of you on this call who realize this.
The time you’ve taken to be here, to pull yourself away from all the other distractions in life shows that you understand
the value of mindset development.
Your mind is supremely powerful. It will dictate your direction. Your beliefs will dictate your direction; your heart will dictate your direction. Your self talk will dictate your direction. Let’s get this all straightened out – let’s get clear on our personal course, our personal objectives, our values, our boundaries and goals. Studies show that simply believing we can bring about change in our lives increases motivation and job performance; that success, in essence, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. But it starts with the belief that we can bring about change in our lives.
Total Transformation is about helping us understand how and why we have the power to change or improve the course of our lives – It’s about applying specific steps to get what we want. Total Transformation is about learning how to use mindset to work to our advantage. It’s about giving you the tools to help you overcome obstacles, reverse bad habits, become more efficient, and productive, and help you conquer your ambitious goals – in life and work.
You have all the resources inside you to get what you want out of life but the fact is most people live their lives in self doubt and but never find out what’s inside them, what they’re grand and capable of, unless they act and give their resources a chance to work.
The human cortex is composed of billions of neurons, each with numerous axons (feelers or extension wires), which form synapses (electrical connections) between the neurons. When we think, remember, or imagine, these neurons discharge an electrical current that can be measured. When we learn something or experience something, a pattern of neurons forming a “chain” is set up in brain tissue. …thus the human brain’s capacity to learn and remember is almost limitless. In order to create accelerated successful patterns in our daily activities we only need to recreate feelings and memories of past successes. Synthetic (revived from past feelings using imagination) and actual experience have virtually the same impact in the brain. All you need recall is the experience where you succeeded in doing what you wanted to do, in achieving what you set out to achieve and in something that brought you some feeling of satisfaction. Revive the entire picture in as much detail as possible. After arousing this general feeling of success, apply it in your thoughts to the important sale, conference, speech, business, sport tournament, whatever you’re engaged in right now. Use your creative imagination to picture to yourself just how you would act and just how you would feel if you had already succeeded.
What you can expect in upcoming webinars is a mix of input from MLSP leaders and from mindset authorities outside of MLSP whose primary purpose is self-development. We’re going to keep this call varied by tapping into the unlimited resources we have in the world. We’re going to get creative and we’re going to bring you topics and tools to help fuel your passions and increase performance.
We’re going to get your input from the calls ~ so be on the lookout for short surveys to help us understand and tailor this series to fit your needs. Your voice is important, we want you involved and we want you benefitting greatly. MLSP is about developing leaders and it’s going to take work on both our ends but I’m committed – are you?
Good: let’s get this done.
Your commitment is a physical one. It’s one thing to imagine you want to do something, another to write that thing you want down on a piece of paper, and yet a whole different thing to actually complete the steps it takes to get you what you want.
Know this: the less energy it takes to kick-start a positive habit, the more likely that habit will stick.
By putting your desired behavior or goal on the path of least resistance it takes less energy and effort and you’re more likely to achieve it. It’s called Activation Energy: lower the activation energy for habits you want to adopt, and raise it for habits you want to avoid.
As we all know, “common sense is not common action” and just because we know we should do something such as exercise, or eat healthier or work on our marketing strategy or follow up with a client, or hop on the Total Transformation webinar doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.
What is Total Transformation? Consider the change under way within you at this very moment. What you know as “you” is actually trillions of cells living and working together. Most only live for a few weeks or months. Whey they die, they are replaced by new cells. This cycle continues for as long as you live. Scientists have suggested that you replace about 1% of your cells each day. That’s 1% today, another 1% tomorrow, amounting to roughly 30% by next month, and 100% by next season. Seeing yourself and your cells in this way, every 3 months you get a whole new you. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that it takes around 3 months to learn a new habit or make a lifestyle change.
Perhaps you’ve heard this quote by Einstein, “Nothing happens until something moves.” Well did you know that the pace of cell renewal varies depending on what you do and how you feel? A key signal that tells your cells whether to grow or decay is movement. A sedentary lifestyle hastens cell decay. An active lifestyle hastens cell renewal. This is true for both your body and your brain. So let’s create some momentum!!
If you’re looking for immediate change: Concentrate your efforts on small areas where you know you can make a difference. By tackling one small challenge at a time – visualize a narrow circle that expands outward – we can relearn that our actions do have a direct effect on our outcomes, that we are largely the masters of our own fates.
Goal setting theory advocates setting goals of moderate difficulty – not so easy that we don’t have to try, but not so difficult that we get discouraged and give up.
If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, in any areas of your life take a look at this:
1. Identify how you’re feeling and put it into words.
2. Write it in a journal or talk to a trusted friend or co-worker.
Verbalizing the stress is the first step for regaining control.
Next, identify which aspects of the situation you have control over and which you don’t. Write out all your stresses, daily challenges and goals and separate them into two categories:
1) Things you have control over
2) Things you don’t have control over
This action will help you identify the areas we HAVE to let go of because they’re out of our hands, while identifying the areas where our efforts will have a real impact, so we can then focus our energy accordingly.
Finally, once your list of items still within your control is established – identify one small goal you know you can immediately and quickly accomplish.
Here’s a little lesson I learned. It’s called the lesson of the Hourglass. A Dr. Gilkey found that one main cause of breakdown, worry and all sorts of other personal problems was the bad mental habit of feeling that you should be doing many things now. Looking at the hourglass on his desk he had an inspiration. Just as only one grain of sand could pass through the hourglass at a time, so could we only do one thing at a time. It’s not the job, but the way we insist on thinking of the job that causes trouble.
Purchase an hourglass and place it where you work most of the time, where it will catch your eye often. Place a small placard on it or next to it, on which you have written “One Grain at a Time.” In this picture I have my hourglass with the placard that reads, “I love you.” Love yourself too because you deserve it ~ I know you’re working hard.
The best news of the day is you have no competition. No one is like you. Your approach to every form of marketing is unique and there are hundreds of people in the world waiting for you to share your message of prosperity and leadership.
Begin to appreciate other people more; show respect for any human being merely because he or she is here now and therefore a thing of value. Stop and think when you’re dealing with people. You’re dealing with unique, individual creations. Practice treating other people as if they had value and surprisingly, your own self esteem will go up. Self esteem is not derived from the great things you’ve done, the things you own, the mark you’ve made, but from the appreciation of yourself for what you are.
I heard this interesting fact the other day. Scientists calculated the odds of your being born. They factored in all the natural disasters, diseases and the like that’s working against us and came up with an amazing statistic. The chances of our birth is 1 in 4 Trillion. Your life matters you are 1 in 4 Trillion. Let’s make it count; let’s make your actions deliberately moving towards making this precious time you have on this planet the life you truly want. Have you figured out what it is that you truly want? Do you know how you want to impact the circles around you – your friends, your family, your environment, your community?
In our industry when we speak of value we use the word in the context of providing valuable, useful, informative, educational information. That’s important for us. But when we’re looking inside and building our mindset foundation it’s also very important to establish our personal values. The personal values act as a guidepost. Here’s how we do it:
Values – Values are qualities that make you feel fully alive and fulfilled. They are not things, they are the essence behind the things. For instance, your friends may be important to you, but “friends” is not a value. Look at what it is about friends that you value: belonging? laughter? support? These are possible values. Values are personal and individual, so explain what each one means to you. For example: Spaciousness (abundant time in my day, room for balance, self care, clear thought.) List the top 5 values you cannot live without. Brainstorm then pare the list down to top 5.
Think back to those values time and again when you feel like you’re getting off course. Think of those values when you’re making decisions and ask if you’re honoring your values.
Lets look at Leadership:
Whichever stage you’re in either personally, or whichever achievement level you’ve reached in your business or financially, there’s never a cap on the depth to which you can develop more as a leader.
The more attentive we are to the relationship dynamics of our teams the better. Provide frequent recognition and feedback. Not only can it raise a team above a higher functioning and producing level, but delivering specific and authentic praise for a job well done also strengthens the connection between two people.
Write an email of thanks or praise to a team member, friend, family member or colleague each morning before they start their days work – not just because it contributes to their own happiness, but because it very literally cements a relationship. Expressions of gratitude, either for years of support or one minute of help, sparks an upward spiral of relationship growth where each individual feels motivated to strengthen the bond.
Put it on your daily to-do list…identify one person per day who has contributed something, anything to express your gratitude to and the next day, first in the morning, send them a note saying so. Start the cycle a day or even a week in advance so you’re not stressed out first in the morning having to come up with someone to appreciate!
Deliberately create a cycle of gratitude on your daily list of things to do. You can write it down in a personal journal.
Most importantly dedicate one time during the day, each day at the same time, to write something you’re grateful for. What time of day you pick is up to you. The key to the success of this is that you’re consistent and that you’ve made the process easily accessible. Remember to lower the activation energy for habits you want to adopt, and raise it for habits you want to avoid.
You can post your daily gratitude on our facebook fan page or post it on yours! Here’s the deal with Gratitude: The more opportunities for positivity we see, the more grateful we become. Countless studies have shown that consistently grateful people are more energetic, emotionally intelligent, forgiving and less likely to be depressed, anxious or lonely. And it’s not that people are only grateful because they are happier, either; gratitude has proven to be a significant cause of positive outcomes.
For one month my friend and I sent each other a text stating what were grateful for each day. It wasn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do but we helped each other get through some days that were rougher than others simply because of the accountability of being a gratitude text partner. If you want to participate in a program like that let me know and we’ll find a way to make it happen. It can be something as simple as you and a friend or business partner stating, “Hey I found my gratitude text partner – I’m ready!” and if we have enough people signed up to warrant an accountability group then we’ll make it happen. I’ll send you a very short survey after each call and that’s where you can provide your feedback. Everyone’s time is valuable so let’s make our time together count.
My role in the Total Transformation webinar is not only to host it and bring you the best people and information but to share with you what skills I’ve learned from studying how increasing positivity in our lives actually has a direct effect on success and performance. Positive emotions flood our brains with dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that not only make us feel good, but dial up the learning centers of our brains to higher levels.
I’ve studied how increasing our happiness broadens our perspective so we have the ability to see more opportunity, be more creative and provide more thoughtful solutions. I’ve learned how pursuing goals that have meaning and a life that has purpose gets us centered and living our passion so our core competencies and our unique strengths come to the surface so can live a fulfilling life. So our time is more about enjoyment of activities instead of struggle. When you’re enjoying your life it shows.
Negativity and fear close our minds, make us shut down and freeze our ability. Bad things are going to happen. That’s a inevitable fact of life. When our minds get stuck in creating cognitive patterns that look for negatives we block success. Instead we want to train our brain to scan the world for the opportunities and ideas that allow our success rate to grow.
Scientists have found that it takes about 3 positive comments, experiences, or expressions to fend off languishing effects of 1 negative. (In relationships the ratio is 5:1) Dip below the 3:1 ratio and work performance suffers. Rise above it – ideally, research shows, to a ratio of 6 to 1 and teams produce their very best work. A global mining company was suffering losses of 10%, a researcher who was called in to help found their positivity ratio was 1.15%. After team leaders were instructed to give more positive feedback and encourage more positive interactions, their teams’ average ratio increased to 3.56 and in turn they made giant strides in production, improving their performance by over 40%.
You want to talk about residual rewards? Then do not underestimate the power of praise or recognition and how far gratitude can go. A few choice words can alter a person’s mindset, which in turn can alter their accomplishments. We all have the power to influence those around us – positively or negatively. Ask yourself, “How am I conveying my beliefs about those in my circle with my words and actions?” Are you fostering an environment in support of individual success or holding those around you down?
“Like secondhand smoke, the leakage of emotions can make a bystander an innocent casualty of someone else’s toxic state. This means that when we feel anxious or adopt an overly negative mindset, these feelings will start to seep into every interaction we have, whether we like it or not. And when our brain hits the panic button, reason goes out the window and our wallets, our careers, our bottom lines all suffer.”
Just remember that even the smallest moments of positivity in the workplace can enhance efficiency, motivation, creativity and productivity.
- project teams with encouraging managers performed 31% better than teams whose managers were less positive and less open with praise. In fact when recognition is specific and deliberately delivered, it is even more motivating than money.
When we make positive social connections, the pleasure inducing hormone oxytocin is released into our bloodstream, immediately releasing anxiety and improving concentration and focus. Each social connection also bolsters our cardiovascular, neuro-endocrine, and immune systems so that the more connections we make over time, the better we function. No wonder people spend so much time on social sites. How can you turn that to the advantage of building your team productivity?
Organizational psychologists have found that even brief encounters can form “high quality connections”, which fuel openness, energy and authenticity among colleagues, and in turn lead to a whole host of measurable, tangible gains in performance. So post on our fan page frequently because that’s where your colleagues are or make your own fan page more vibrant, engaging and active for your fans. Share good news, share relevant information, form a supportive environment and create social connections that build deeper bonds which have a tendency to be longer lasting.
Speaking of longer lasting. The year 2015 and the year 2017 respectively represent 3 and 5 years from now. A question I like to ask people is, “Where do you see yourself in 3 and 5 years?” What do you visualize for yourself? Write it down and make your visualization BIG and write it in the present tense. Because we’ve already learned that we can create change by starting with smaller manageable goals. So if we start with achievable goals today and keep expanding our circle outward in 3 years or 1095 days from now or 5 years, 1825 days from now where can we be? When you’re visualizing your future remember to include feelings of faith, trust, confidence, hope and optimism in your ability to attain your goals.
Here’s a quote by Henry David Thoreau: “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
Here’s an action step for you: Start making a daily list of good things in your job, your career, and or your life.
When you write down a list of “3 good things” that happened that day, your brain will be forced to scan the last 24 hrs. for potential positives – things that brought small or large laughs, feelings of accomplishment with work, a strengthened connection with family, a glimmer of hope for the future. In just 5 minutes a day, this trains the brain to become more skilled at noticing and focusing on possibilities for personal and professional growth, and seizing opportunities to act on them. The items you write down don’t need to be profound or complicated – only specific.
We’re going to look at goals and we’re going to set them together. We’re going to understand WHY having something to look forward to helps us achieve. You want to be a leader or increase your leadership skill? I want that for you too. I want you performing at your peak level. I want you coming out of these calls closer to understanding your core competencies so your life is thriving and you’re flourishing.
Live a full life doing what you love; be amongst people who support your dreams and goals. And if you’re unsure of any one of your decisions let’s get clear on your intentions and strip away any fear, or hesitation you have about achieving your dreams. Let’s get you functioning, more often than not, from a space where you are in your greatest power. The power that is unique to you.
As leaders we’re connecting with people. We need to listen to them. We’ll have a webinar on listening strategies. We can’t provide solutions until we know how to listen. These people are coming to us because they’re looking for change. We’re going to be the change and we’re going to affect more lives.
Learn all the marketing strategies you want to generate hundreds of leads. Just know that when you’re communicating with those leads, internally, your purpose needs to be clear, your belief and values needs to be identified, your leadership needs to be evident.
If we need we can create accountability groups. If we need we can create a gratitude text team, we can create a habit formation group. If we need we can create whatever we want to make our lives the most successful, abundant, prosperous ever. We’re adults – we have the power to make whatever we want a reality.
Each week you’ll build layer upon layer and if you commit you will experience Total Transformation.
Remember that you have NO competition. You are uniquely you. Once you fully grasp this and start living within your core competencies and pursuing a life of passion and purpose you will see the abundance around you and see infinite possibilities.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
26. January 2012
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