self-actualisation Archives

Why enjoying yourself can never be a waste of time

02/20/2019 by Roy Sutton

Time you enjoyed wasting, was not wasted. ~John Lennon

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a great believer in making the most of your time.

In particular, a constant message is that you should not waste your time. However, as with everything, it is important to strike a balance.

As John Lennon reminds us in his observation above, truly enjoying yourself can never be a waste of time.

Enjoying yourself and having fun has positive benefits for your health.

For a start, it reduces stress. Also what would be the point of life if you couldn’t have a little fun occasionally?

Remember the words in that old Music Hall song, “Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. Enjoy yourself while you’re still in the pink.”

You can’t be serious all the time. Sometimes you’ve just got to have some fun. So go on. You know you want to.

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Why passion is the key to success

02/06/2019 by Roy Sutton

If success is your aim then received wisdom suggests that you should find your passion. You’ve heard that before dear reader I’m sure. However the phrase is now spoken so often that it’s has become a bit of a cliché, don’t you think?

And of course once something becomes a cliché then it’s hard to take it seriously, would you agree?

Then again, just because something has become a cliché doesn’t in itself mean that it lacks an underlying truth.

From experience I can tell you that if you really want to succeed at anything then whatever it is must matter to you. And I’m not talking about mattering just a little bit. I mean it really, really, really must matter to you. It must be as important to you as the air that you breathe.

You can call it a ‘passion’; you can call it something with which you have ‘a sense of connection’; or you can call it your ‘Why’. Whatever you call it, you’ll only have the determination to see it through as far as it goes if it actually matters to you.

How lucky are those people who find something in life that matters so much that it drives them to make their mark. To be recognised for making a significant contribution to their chosen pursuit.

That pursuit may be painting or writing or playing a musical instrument. It may be computers or fast cars. It may be starting a business and making serious money. Whatever it is, it’s that special something which for those people is not only interesting and absorbing but rewarding too.

It becomes so important to them that it would be their hobby if they couldn’t make a living at it. Because they love it so much, it’s not work at all, for them it’s a pleasure.

It’s something for which they have a sense of enthusiasm or ‘passion’ and instinctively they recognise that it’s what they’re good at. And of course, because they love it, they practise and keep practising. And because they practise they hone their skills and they get even better at it. This creates a virtuous circle.

Constant practise will help you excel and reach the very top of your game.

Sadly for most people, that special something is something they never find.

However, if you’ve yet to find that special something, you must never stop looking. One day you might just stumble upon it and it’s never too late for you to become the person you really could be.

That’s why passion is the key to success.

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Why you must spend some time learning the art of negotiation

01/04/2019 by Roy Sutton

You have to ask for money because there’s always more money and they won’t give it to you because you’re a girl. ~Claire Danes

A new year is often a time when people decide that it’s the right time to change jobs. For whatever reason they decide it’s time to move on.

That’s fair enough; if you’re not enjoying doing whatever you’re doing or you no longer feel challenged by whatever you’re doing then it’s important to find something that really does get you feeling energised again.

However whilst finding a new job is one thing, getting fair recompense for the value you will add is quite another.

As a hiring manager I’ve always been amazed by how many people settled for the first figure offered to them. It’s surprising just how many people have little or no sense of their own worth relative to their skill-set and the real market value of jobs.

Now it’s important to remember that hiring managers work within budgets obviously and they have a duty to their employers to keep costs as low as possible.

When hiring managers are recruiting they’ll know the market rate for the job on offer, or at least the HR department will and they will have advised the hiring manager accordingly.

Nevertheless dear reader you must recognise that the market rate for any job is not a single figure. The market rate falls within a range and it’s the range that will have been supplied by the HR department.

So when the hiring manager decides that you’re the person they want to hire then in negotiating a package with you they will have that range in mind.

Naturally they’ll want to minimise the impact on their budget and so they will attempt to recruit you at the lower end of that range if that’s possible.

Yes, they’ll recognise that they have to offer you a premium on your current salary if it’s to make sense for you to leave your current employer. After all you’re always taking a degree of risk when you change jobs. And so a risk premium must be paid by the hiring manager.

That premium typically will be an uplift of around 10% – 20% above your current salary.

Beyond that, for the hiring manager, it’s all about securing your services for the lowest rate possible within the market rate range. And from a business standpoint that’s fair enough.

It’s the nature of business after all. If fact in our daily lives we’re all trying to purchase products and services for the lowest rate possible; so why should we expect businesses to be any different?

However as a jobseeker, you should be trying to sell your services for the highest price possible. That too is fair game. You must always look after your own interests because if you don’t then no one else will, that’s for sure.

Think about it. In selling products and services, businesses are trying to sell at the highest price the market will stand so they can generate the highest margins possible for their shareholders.

So why shouldn’t you get the best deal possible for yourself, relative to what the market will stand? You must know your own value and you shouldn’t just accept the first figure on offer.

Essentially it’s all a game of horse-trading. The company almost always makes a low offer, so you must try to negotiate a better offer.

To do that, before going into any negotiation, it’s important that you have some idea of the market rate for the role.

That means you need to have done some research to establish the likely range the hiring manager will be working within.

You also need to have a sales pitch available so you can highlight your own unique selling proposition and why you are worth a bit more.

The key message here is that you don’t just accept the first offer.

In today’s quote, originally recorded in the British newspaper the Financial Times, actress Claire Danes reminds us that there will be more money available and if you ask for more you might just surprise yourself.

In making this observation, modestly Ms Danes said that this was what she had learned from older actresses.

It’s a useful tip for every jobseeker, female or male.

Never be afraid to negotiate and when you leave the table make sure you’re taking away as much as you can within reason.

Once again I cannot emphasise this point too much. You must know your own worth, always.

Don’t be bashful; be business-like and make sure you get a fair share of the pie.

As I said earlier, if you don’t look after your own interests, no one else will.

In the year ahead I recommend that you spend some time learning the art of negotiation. It really is a very useful skill to develop.

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Habits of Success

01/03/2019 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered why some people are successful and others are not?

In this video Brian Tracy provides some useful advice on the habits you will need to develop if you really do want to be successful.

As always Brian provides us with some great insight into how successful people behave and the structured way in which they work towards turning their goals into achievements.

Whether you’re a fan of Brian Tracy or you just want to be successful, this video is well worth a few minutes of your time.

Watch and learn.

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Why your time is valuable

01/02/2019 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

Do you want to make money from Facebook? It’s easy. Just go to your Account Setting; deactivate your account; and go to work! ~Author Unknown

Dear reader, if you’re not currently successful, would you like to be?

Many readers will answer in the affirmative of course but then they don’t quite know how to realise their dreams. You may be one of them, perhaps?

Well today I offer you one tip that will be useful to you whatever it is you’d really like to do with your life.

If you’re not sure how to become successful then start by looking closely at successful people and you’ll find at least a few clues there.

However allow me to offer you one of those clues now. And that is that if there’s one thing all successful and wealthy people have in common it is that they don’t waste their time.

They know that time is a precious and limited resource and they recognise that they must use it wisely. And in using it wisely they avoid ‘time sucks’.

The biggest time wasters by far are television and social media. People waste hours of their time on both, particularly on social media nowadays.

Now don’t get me wrong, social media can be a very useful tool as a vehicle for communication both professionally and with friends and family.

However it can also be a distraction. And if it’s a distraction then it might just limit your earning power.

Social media really is just a tool. It might be a useful tool but it’s still just a tool.

Use it by all means but be disciplined in your use of social media.

Your time is precious and, if you want to be successful and make serious money, then you need to use your time wisely. That is today’s underlying message.

Spending your time on social media might be entertaining and informative but it’s unlikely to be profitable.

You can spend your time on social media or you can work hard, with a sense of purpose, on realising your goals and your dreams. The choice is yours; and the consequences will be too.

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Why you must know your why

01/01/2019 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

It’s the first day of a brand new year and our lives are full of possibility once again.

No matter how bad the old year proved to be for you dear reader, it’s gone now and so you start afresh.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably come up with a few resolutions already. And if you’re serious about your resolutions then perhaps you’re serious about being successful too.

However, what’s the real secret of success?

Why is it that some people are successful and others will never be?

In the embedded video, Hollywood legend, movie star, two-term Governor of California and former Mr Universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger shares his five secret steps to tackling life and achieving success.

Essentially these are his five rules to excel at whatever you choose to do.

He has an interesting story to tell and his story proves that no obstacle is too big to overcome and no vision, too big to achieve, if you’re determined enough and you’re prepared to work hard.

Change the world:

To summarise Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rules, they are:-

Find your vision and follow it;
Never, ever think small;
Ignore the Naysayers;
Work your ass off; and
Don’t just take, give something back.

However if you listen to Arnold’s story, his burning desire was to move to the United States and become a big star. This was his reason why.

Initially he has no idea how to achieve that goal but a little piece of good fortune came his way.

Arnold happened to read an article in a magazine about a man just like him who achieved just what he wanted to achieve. The article explained how the man did it and Arnold used that success template as the basis for pursuing his own goal.

Identify successful people and do what they did:

Once he knew his why, Arnold Schwarzenegger just needed to work out a way to get there. Knowing your why will always, eventually, lead you to your how.

Once Arnold knew his purpose and his passion, he was always going to find a way. His determination and his willingness to do whatever was necessary saw to that.

Had he not been lucky enough to identify a role model through a magazine article, something else would have guided him because that’s the nature of life. When you’re searching for something you’ll tune in to all the little clues you need.

Once you know your why, you develop a keen sense of that subject and everyone else involved.

Trust yourself:

If you know your why then you’ll have the drive and determination to pursue your goal.

Nothing happens by accident of course. You must make it happen.

So figure out for yourself what it is you really, really want. What would make you happy? What would you regard as a real achievement?

Then find a role model.

Someone who’s done what you want to do. Identify how they did it and copy what they’ve done. If their approach worked for them, it can work for you.

Avoid distractions:

If you want to be successful then don’t allow ‘time sucks’ to throw you off course.

Television and social media are the biggest time wasters of all.

Time is a precious resource and successful people don’t waste it. So if you want to be successful, don’t waste yours. Put every minute to good use.

Know your why

The key message today, both from this article and the embedded video, is that you must know your why.

That’s the starting point for success.

So if you’ve yet to do that then I suggest that’s where you start in this brand new year if you want to be successful.

And remember this; if not you, who? If not now, when?

Other people achieve success and so can you. Good luck.

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15 Quotes by Jim Rohn

11/28/2018 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

The late Jim Rohn was one of the best motivational speakers of all time in my opinion. Certainly he’s one of the best I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard plenty of them in my time.

Sadly, by the time I came across Jim Rohn he’d already passed away but I wish I’d discovered him years ago.

I’ve read all his books, I’ve listened to all his audio recordings and I’ve also watched all the videos on YouTube which feature him and his work. And not just once, I go through his stuff regularly and I think he’s brilliant.

If you’re looking for inspiration and he’s new to you then check him out. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. He’s truly inspirational.

To prove my point, here are 15 quotes by Jim Rohn to inspire you.

These are some of Jim Rohn’s best loved quotes and I hope at least one or two of them will inspire you.

Quotes by Jim Rohn:

Either you run the day or the day runs you. ~Jim Rohn
Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. ~Jim Rohn
Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. Jim Rohn
The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch. ~Jim Rohn
You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour. ~Jim Rohn
Profits are better than wages. Wages make you a living; profits can make you a fortune. ~Jim Rohn
Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money but you can’t get more time. ~Jim Rohn
Days are expensive. When you spend a day you have one less day to spend. So make sure you spend each one wisely. ~Jim Rohn
If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. ~Jim Rohn
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. ~Jim Rohn
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it’s something you design for the present. ~Jim Rohn
If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you’ll have to settle for the ordinary. ~Jim Rohn
Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day. ~Jim Rohn
Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want. ~Jim Rohn
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals. ~Jim Rohn

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When talent matters and when it doesn’t

10/17/2018 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

Potential counts for nothing if it remains unfulfilled. ~Roy Sutton

You can have an enormous amount of talent but so what? It’s not what you have it’s what you do with what you have. If you don’t put your God-given talent to good use then it is simply wasted on you.

Those things at which you are truly exceptional are the basis on which you can really make your mark on life, or not.

It’s your choice. Live your life and make the best use of your talent and intellect or don’t bother.

The world won’t notice if you decide to waste your talent. Your loved ones might notice but the world will carry on regardless.

However use your talent, put it to good use, and the world will notice you.

It will require discipline and dedication of course and a desire to master your craft, whatever that may be.

Still it will be worth it to be recognised as someone who made the best use of what they had and made a difference.

The world doesn’t have enough talented people, so don’t waste yours. Go out there and be the best.

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Can there be a better feeling than winning?

10/16/2018 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like winning. ~Tony Adams

Can there be a better feeling than winning?

That feeling you get when you experience real success. It makes you feel ten feet tall.

Maybe you have yet to have that experience. If so, don’t give up. It really is worth the effort, believe me.

You can only truly know how it feels when you get there. But if you get there once, you will want to go back there again and again and again.

So go on, become a legend in your own right.

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How to measure whether you are of good character

10/14/2018 by Roy Sutton Leave a Comment

Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking. ~Author Unknown

Most people like to think they’re honest and certainly I do. Well we all like to be seen as being honest that’s for sure.

However what would we be prepared to do individually if we thought no one else was looking; if we thought we would never ever be caught?

Now that’s the real measure of just how honest we are; we can fool others perhaps but we cannot really fool ourselves.

Deep down we all know what we are. Maybe we’re good; maybe we’re bad. Then again maybe we’re just people who care about what others think of us.

If you’re the sort of person who does the right thing when no one else is looking then you’re truly of good character, because that’s the real measure of character.

Fail to do the right thing in those circumstances and that suggests you are someone of questionable character, to some degree at least, regardless of any character profile you like to present publicly.

Personally I try to be of good character and I try to do the right thing always, regardless of whether I’m being watched. However I’m more a work-in-progress than someone who always gets it right. No one’s perfect, least of all me.

That said, I think aspiring to be of good character is well worth working at and that is one of my aim’s in life.

How about you? What do you think?

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Why enjoying yourself can never be a waste of time

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Why you must know your why

Change the world:

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15 Quotes by Jim Rohn

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