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Thursday, December 31, 2015

How can one become part of the 1%? - Quora

Patrick Bendahan
Patrick Bendahan, Private equity, listed equity and leveraged finance investor
3 votes
Investor Ken Fisher wrote an entertaining book about it: The Ten Roads to Riches: The Ways the Wealthy Got There (And How You Can Too!): Kenneth L. Fisher, Lara Hoffmans: 9780470481554: Amazon.com: Books
He lists the following ways to become rich:
1- Start a business
2- Become CEO of a large corporation
3- Become a sidekick to a founder or CEO
4- Become famous (athlete, rock star, movie star, etc)
5- Marry well
6- Become a plaintiff lawyer
7- Manage other people's money (asset manager, hedge fund manager, private equity)
8- Create something and live off royalties (author, inventor, etc)
9- Become a real estate mogul
10- Save and invest wisely
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress :-)


(3) Say Keng Lee's answer to How can one become part of the 1%? - Quora:



Say Keng LeeKnowledge Adventurer & Technology Explorer in Strategy, Change & Future-Focus
223 Views • Say has 40+ answers in Wealthy People and Families.

I have a performance option for you.
Based on my own strategic exploration over the years, I have studied and synthesised the following thirteen power tools to help you become a high performance person:
POWER TOOL #1
First and foremost, adapt and adopt the powerful habits of successful people, and always establish a definite purpose or principal objective in whatever you do.
Having a definite purpose in life and work will give you a sense of direction.
With purpose, you can move forward much more confidently.
POWER TOOL #2
Invest in self-directed, life-long learning:Continually acquire new knowledge, skills and competencies throughout your working lives to meet the ever-changing challenges.
You must embrace the practice of lifelong learning for lifelong employability.
Lester Thurow, the author of Creating Wealth, said that the three most important things needed for the Knowledge Economy are:
"Skills, Skills and Skills".
You must therefore create your own learning journey for the rest of your life.
You have to keep on learning new things, and set new directions for yourself, all the time in a rapidly changing world.
POWER TOOL #3
Stay ahead - and stay alert; embrace change and learn to tolerate complexity as well as ambiguity:
Indeed, technology is advancing so rapidly on so many fronts that the main constraint on productivity today is not so much your capacity to come up with new ideas, but your ability to keep abreast of and integrate the latest developments from fields outside your own particular specialty.
As a matter of fact, the overwhelmingly largest determinant of success today for you is the speed with which you can accept, learn, and work with technological change.
Prosperity today belongs to the person that learns new things the fastest.
POWER TOOL #4
Always be curious about the world around you, and don't be afraid to ask some dumb questions!
Walt Disney, whose world-renown animation movies & theme parks - were started by just a little mouse, once gave this advice to budding entrepreneurs:
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious.
Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Albert Einstein never stop working till he died, and he said:
"The most important thing in life is to keep asking questions.
"Implicitly or explicitly, creativity always begins with a question.
And in both your business or personal lives, the quality of your creativity is determined by the quality of your questions.
POWER TOOL #5
Constantly challenge your own personal assumptions, and continually expand your habitual domain:
I have this inspiring wall poster in my home-office as a constant reminder:
"If you always keep on thinking what you have always thought, you will always keep on doing what you have always done, and you will always keep on getting what you have always gotten.
It's time to change!" (Anonymous)
POWER TOOL #6
It's OK to be skeptical, but be mindful at all times.
Don't simply reject weird ideas prejudicially.
Explore, play and experiment with them.Just remember what Albert Einstein once said:
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
POWER TOOL #7
Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, and be prepared to take some risks:It is natural inclination for all of us to stay in the comfort zone.
Once in a while, just move to the edge and enter the stretch zone.
You will be thrilled as well as amply rewarded in the long term.It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers.
I always remember Helen Keller's famous quotation:
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
POWER TOOL #8
Collaborate and network with people; build & enhance your relationships especially with those who are smarter than you and/or who demand more out of you:
No matter what you and I do in the Knowledge economy, we are still in the people business.
Together, knowledge and relationships are the only true sources of sustainable competitive advantage.
Moreover, knowledge itself is all about relationships between people.
Henry J. Kaiser, an American industrialist who is recognised as the father of modern shipbuilding, once said:
"I make progress by having people around me who are smarter than I am and listening to them. And I assume that everyone is smarter about something than I am."
POWER TOOL #9
Take personal accountability for all your choices, decisions and actions;
Don’ t play the Blame/Justify game!:
Being accountable helps you achieve what matters to you most. Get things done.
What you want to get done, don’t let fear get in your way. Don’t be a victim. Don’t blame others. Don't justify.
Don’t be afraid to fail or succeed.
Actions have consequences.
When you try to justify or blame others, you give up your power to change.
POWER TOOL #10
Be a generalist; read, read and read widely (covering mainstream as well as fringe stuff!):
Always remember: ‘Specialisation is for insects only.’
Joel Arthur Barker, one of my most favourite authors, said in the Afterword of his book, Future Edge:
“The cheapest, most powerful way to stretch your paradigms and improve your strategic exploration skills is to read.”
POWER TOOL #11
Always think about new ideas (including weird ones!); jot them down and work out the Next Steps!
"Thinking is hard work, and that is why very few people engage in it."Thanks to Henry Ford for saying that.
Thinking new ideas often will give you a new and broad perspective to look at the ever abundant data around you in order for you to gather valuable information for planning and decision making.
Always remember this, ideas must come first.Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, once remarked:
"Make it a practice to keep on the lookout for novel and interesting ideas that others have used successfully.
Your idea has to be original only in its adaptation to the problems you are working."
Robert Kiyosaski, author of ‘If You Want to Be Rich & Happy Don't Go to School: Ensuring Lifetime Security for Yourself and Your Children’, gave this simple advice to all those who wants to be rich:
"It's what in your head that determines what is in your hands.
Money is only an idea. If you want more money, simply change your thinking.
Money never starts an idea. It is the idea that starts the money."
POWER TOOL #12
Don't just talk only, take immediate - MASSIVE and CONSISTENT - action and exercise self-discipline at all costs!
All the thinking in the world is of no use unless it finds application, unless the ideas are transformed into action. To take action in a rapidly -changing world, where it is all too easy to cling to the status quo and do nothing, you need the courage to take action - not make decisions.
Knowledge and learning levels are typically measured not by what you have learnt and know, but by your productivity - what you do and what you don't with what you have learnt and know!
Action creates consequences and feedback.
I recall Robert Ringer, author of the best sellers 'Look Out for #1' and 'Winning by Intimidation' who said this:
"Nothing happens until something moves," which also happens to be the title of one of his great books.
As a matter of fact, the key to success in any field of endeavour is the ability to act and get things done.
I am not sure whether it was Denis Waitley, author of The Psychology of Success, who define ‘self discipline’ as “doing the things you don’t want to do, but when they are done, they bring rewards.”
POWER TOOL #13
Persevere in the face of constant change, stress, and difficulty, and be persistent in all your endeavours:
Persevere and persist, and you will find most things that are attainable, possible.
Dale Carnegie once said:
“Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger.
If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”
Helen Keller had wisely put it:
"We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough."
Interestingly, just think about the postage stamp: Its usefulness lies in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there!”
Enjoy your reading, exploration and assimilation.
Best wishes and Good Luck on your continuing high performance pursuits!


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Signal Processing for Machine Learning - MATLAB Video

Signal Processing for Machine Learning - MATLAB Video:



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MATLAB for Signal Processing - MATLAB Webinar

MATLAB for Signal Processing - MATLAB Webinar:



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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

50 Small Things That Make Up A Perfect Day

50 Small Things That Make Up A Perfect Day:

Don’t you love when your day is just perfect? Everything falls into place and it didn’t seem like you had to worry about anything. Life is just working for you. I mean, literally! You might be thinking: yeah, sad it doesn’t happen very often…
Well, it can. If you pay attention to details… With simple actions, you can have a perfect day, every day.
1. Once you wake up, just stay in bed for a couple of minutes and relax.
2. Always have a book with you, we never know when boredom might decide to appear.
3. Set mood playlists on your device of choice.
4. Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
5. Smile to a stranger and see what happens!
6. Have a quick fresh shower first thing in the morning.
7. Show your love to someone else.
8. Before you go to bed, say thanks for everything you have and don’t have.
9. Connect to yourself, by using a journal: write, draw, make collages, let your mind wander.
10. On your nightstand, put something that makes you smile.
11. Take a walk in nature.
12. Do yoga.
13. Make a to-do list to help you achieve your main goal for the day. And stick to it.
14. Eat healthily and accordingly to your own taste.
15. Take an hour and do as you please.
16. Write 3 good things that happened to you and what you can do to see it happen again.
17. Put some fresh flowers in the room you spend time in the most.
18. Take a long and warm shower before going to bed.
19. Get out of the house and explore your neighborhood.
20. Sleep naked to feel sexier.
21. Boost your confidence by engaging in your favorite hobby.
22. Act crazy, put the music on loud and start dancing like there’s no tomorrow.
23. Take a 30 minute nap after lunch; as an alternative, engage in a different relaxing activity.
24. Giggle with your friends– make time for them in your day.
25. Read an inspiring quote and incorporate it into your day.
26. Declutter you life by asking “Do I really need this? Why?”.
27. Be kind anytime you can and don’t expect anything back.
28. Meditate and write down everything you’ve found out.
29. Learn something new, even if it’s just a different way of doing stuff.
30. Have some sweat and exercise. Do it mindfully by choosing an activity you enjoy.
31. Sleep a bit more if you feel tired or you’re in the middle of a situation that you can’t solve.
32. Smile. Smile. Smile. And smile some more.
33. Walk barefoot.
34. Experience flow by working at something you’re passionate about.
35. Make your surroundings a little bit better: declutter, reuse and recycle.
36. Plan a trip, even if you can’t travel right now.
37. Be aware of your emotions, but don’t control them: understand them.
38. Remember your accomplishments every time you feel like a failure.
39. Lower your expectations, little by little — most of them are unrealistic.
40. Be offline for as long as you can.
41. Enjoy the now.
42. Challenge yourself!
43. Don’t worry about your problems, but work toward a solution.
44. See everything as an opportunity to learn and grow.
45. Forgive yourself and forgive others.
46. Don’t quit: make baby steps.
47. Do your best.
48. Slow down.
49. Put everything you are into everything you do.
50. Follow your heart.
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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

When Does It Make Sense To Buy Miles? | TravelSort

When Does It Make Sense To Buy Miles? | TravelSort: ", lounge access, and lots of other perks for my travels. At the same time, the end goal for me is to earn redeemable "



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Thursday, December 24, 2015

These 10 Things Would Happen When You Start Stepping Out Of You Comfort Zone

These 10 Things Would Happen When You Start Stepping Out Of You Comfort Zone:

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Neale Donald Walsch

Most people want to be become successful, pursue their passions, and live a life full of happiness and love. The truth is, making your dreams become a reality requires leaving the comfortable environment and challenging yourself on a regular basis. However, it’s a minority of people who understand the importance of embracing discomfort in order to lead a regretless and fulfilled lifestyle.
Many people fear stepping into the unknown and questioning their abilities. They fear failure, disapproval, and discomfort. Being aware of the thousands of potential obstacles paralyzes them. However, once you make the decision to step out of your comfort zone and fully commit to doing this daily, you’ll experience many amazing things you wouldn’t have otherwise.
In this article, I want to encourage you to become comfortable with feeling uncomfortable by showing you the great consequences of embracing discomfort.

1. You’ll start growing incredibly quickly

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
Brian Tracy
runners
The moment you fully leave your comfort zone is when you begin developing exceptionally quickly. It’s because the only way to extraordinary results is through discomfort. By constantly questioning yourself, you improve your skills and develop new ones. Every new change serves you as a great source of motivation to keep going.
It’s a like a snowball effect: a will to change a little implants a deep desire to grow more and more. Over time, you notice the huge transformation that took place in your life.

2. You’ll begin to love challenging yourself

cold shower
At first, each challenge may seem tough or even impossible. However, once you go through it and deal with whatever life throws at you, you realize how powerful you can become only by accepting the discomfort.
Every time you leave your comfort zone and notice the amazing results, you crave more and more. This became especially apparent to me once I began taking cold showers.
In the beginning, I felt uncomfortable and wanted to finish the shower as soon as possible. What I noticed, however, is the sense of satisfaction that comes afterward. This feeling beats the initial fear and resentment. Over time, the negative emotions disappear completely and you feel excited to stay on track.

3. You’ll realize all your fears are fictional

not sure face
Coming up with countless excuses which seem reasonable is my brain’s biggest hobby. It’s so good at it that it very often managed to make me believe that I can’t do something. The fact is, and I promise you it’s the truth and not another cliched sentence, your fears that prevent a change are fictional.
If you don’t train your mind to work for you, it works against you by default. As a result, tons of excuses pop up in your head and paralyze your ability to improve. Sooner or later, you decide to take action and ignore the negative thoughts.
This is the moment when you realize that you often underestimate your skills and overestimate the power of potential obstacles. What seemed impossible turned out to be doable and even enjoyable.
Whatever your current goal is that you postpone over and over again, I’d like you to mute the voice that encourages you to put it off and begin working on it, starting either today or tomorrow.
You have my word that the results will amaze you!

4. You’ll replace regret with excitement.

Living a comfortable life isn’t exciting. It seems nice and warm during the day, but once you go to bed and contemplate another day which went by in which you made zero progress toward your goals, the magic is replaced with a bitter regret.
Fortunately, there’s an alternative. It starts with stepping outside your comfort zone. You commit to progress every single day. Even if you move only a tiny bit, it’s still a huge accomplishment.
At the end of the day, there are no regrets or annoyances. Instead, you feel incredible about yourself and excited to conquer the next day.

5. You’ll laugh at your past self.

“As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.”
Robin S. Sharma
child laughing
The longer you travel the paths of discomfort, the more you laugh at your past weak self. You notice your bygone excuses and problems were made-up and absurd. Your current self isn’t afraid of challenges or failures. You are prepared to mess up from time to time; however, it’s never a reason not to do something.
As I began the journey of self-improvement, I finally understood that your current struggles become a reason to laugh in the future. It all depends on your perspective and attitude.
The same problem or challenge can be a real can of worms or a piece of cake. Whatever it is, it’s always fully up to you.

6. You’ll find out more about your strengths and weaknesses.

armwrestling
Constantly questioning yourself leads to discovering your good and bad sides. Each challenge is a new life lesson. Whether you complete it successfully or fail miserably, there’s always some value added to your life.
You can’t learn about your true self by lying on the couch, eating nachos, and watching another season of your favorite show. If something is nice and cozy, it probably provides zero value or even worsens your situation.
Let’s have a look at eating patterns as an example.
Eating fast food feels good at first, since the food companies spare no effort to make us crave their products. But in reality, it’s always damaging both to your health and mood. The exact opposite is true of eating healthy, unprocessed foods. If you are used to consuming junk, it’s uncomfortable initially, but over time, you are proud of making the switch.
The lesson you learn from this shift is that you can actually control what you put on your plate and choose long-term health over short-term gratification.

7. You’ll boost your self-confidence.

young super hero
Experiencing the results of your hard work and how powerful you are once you decide to be unstoppable improves your self-confidence significantly.
A person who fears stepping out of their comfort zone is simply unaware of their abilities and competencies. However, once discomfort knocks at your door and you open it with a smile on your face, ready to transform yourself, your self-confidence shoots up You realize that whether you can or you can’t is absolutely up to you. Taking that responsibility makes you the master of your own universe, where you start to truly believe in yourself.

8. You’ll create a new source of incredible satisfaction.

Man With Arms Up And Sunset Behind Island
Most comfortable activities seem satisfying on the surface, while, in reality, true fulfillment and joy take place outside of your comfort zone.
When I finish a freezing cold shower, I feel great and pumped up for new challenges awaiting for me this very day. When I complete a chapter of my new book, I feel amazing because of making progress.
Same goes for completing a hardcore workout in the gym.
All these activities have one thing in common: the initial phase requires pushing yourself to do them, but once it’s over, you feel like a god.

9. You’ll realize the only way to success leads through discomfort.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
Neale Donald Walsch
woman watching the sun
Over time, you notice the correlation between discomfort and worthwhile things in life. Oftentimes, one does not exist without the other. Short-term discomfort leads to long-term improvement and success.
Based on my personal experience, most of the achievements I’m proud of started with leaving my comfort zone. The fact is, things we want to accomplish require hard work and perseverance. You can’t expect great satisfaction and contentment from easy and mediocre stuff. If it scares you, that’s a good sign!

10. You’ll begin inspiring people around you.

women listening carefully
When your attitude changes drastically, people begin to watch you more carefully and feel inspired by your results. They see that being an average person or an outstanding individual is only a choice and not a foredoom.
Even if some folks discourage you in the beginning, ignore their voices. As the time goes by and you stick to your own rules, you stop looking for others’ approval.
Sooner or later, the naysayers will either become overwhelmed by your results and inspired to change their minds, or you’ll no longer hear them.
To make your life easier, separate yourself from the negative energy so that you remove another potential obstacle and make your path toward success more transparent.
There’s one priceless feeling you’ll definitely experience provided you embrace discomfort: when people around you start talking about the changes you have made and how you inspired them to do the same. The motivation which comes from that is immeasurable.

17 Signs You Are Stepping Towards Success, Even If You Don't Feel You Are.

17 Signs You Are Stepping Towards Success, Even If You Don't Feel You Are.:



Not sure if you’re on the right curve along the road to success?
There are lots of times when all of us feel that success is far from our reach. We feel that we’re struggling to make progress even though we’ve put in the effort. That’s okay. Be happy about the things you’ve already accomplished and show patience for what you have yet to achieve.
Quickly put behind you the things that weren’t successful. In other words, smile at your successes every day. Then push forward.
Check out these 17 signs that will prove that you certainly are on the road to success.

1.  You’re facing your fears and winning.

Previously, you froze when you started moving outside of your comfort zone. You were frightened you might fail. However, now that you have taken many small steps, it’s not as terrifying as you expected. You know that in order to be successful, you must push through your fears, and that’s just what you’re doing. You’re facing those fears head on. This is definitely is a sign of success.

2.  You’ve accepted that failure is part of self growth – and that’s positive.

To you, failure is the jumping off point for having another go, but maybe changing your tactics to adjust would fair better. Your “I accept that failures are part of success” attitude has enabled you to use your creativity to solve problems and jump hurdles. Each setback is a new opportunity to start afresh. You have made a choice between letting failure hold you back, and viewing failure as a positive part of your journey. Well done!

3.  You believe in the power of focusing on today.

This has been a difficult concept to deal with, but eventually you accepted that your real life is happening right now. Your focus is on the present and on what you can do and create today. Yesterday is in the past and can’t be altered. The moment you start worrying about tomorrow or about an annoyance from yesterday, precious moments are lost that could have brought a boost to yourself or others.

4.  You realize that you can’t please everyone all the time.

What a huge step towards success was taken when you stopped trying to please everyone. You’ve found that some people just can’t be pleased, no matter what. You’ve found that there’s more than one way to do something. You do what you believe is right for you, and whatever works best. You’ve filled your life with people who really matter to you.

5.  You accentuate the positive thoughts in your mind.

It’s not easy to accentuate the positive because our minds are wandering from the past to the future throughout every waking moment. Replacing the negative with positive thoughts is only achieved through practise. You’ve found that having positive thoughts results in a calmer attitude, particularly when handling difficulties. You are also becoming competent at silencing your inner critic (who can be very harsh).

6.  You’ve stopped judging and blaming others.

At last, you’ve escaped from the habit of blaming other people for whatever happens to you. You know how to step back from the situation. You look at it from a different angle in order to find a creative solution. You’ve found you are calmer when you’re less judgmental. It’s easier to criticize, but instead you try to understand the other person’s point of view. This is an impressive step forward toward being successful.

7.  You’ve started pursuing the things you’re passionate about.

You’ve made some changes so you can pursue your passion. That means you get up every day excited about working towards the day’s mini-goals. You have special talents and skills that enable you to contribute to the world and benefit others. You’re keen to use these skills to the best of your ability. You know you can do that only if you’re pursuing your passion.

8.  You take time to be grateful every day.

You’ve found that one great way to move towards success is to be grateful. As you wake up, you think of 5 things that you are grateful for. You also smile about things that are going well in your life. Again at night, you’re grateful for 5 things that went well during the day. You ask yourself, “In what ways was I successful today?” Being grateful helps you concentrate on positives.

9.  You avoid busyness and focus on effectiveness.

It’s easy to fill your day with being busy without achieving anything. If this pattern is repeated, it can lead to frustration and the feeling that success just isn’t within your grasp and never will be. So, you avoid busyness, focusing on making progress instead, little by little. You feel excited about what you’re achieving. You can see that you’re productive, efficient, and effective. It is this, and not busyness, that is your way to success.

10. You set yourself a goal to achieve every day.

You know that drifting along doesn’t lead to success, so you start each day with a plan. You have a clear list of jobs you’ll accomplish to move you closer to your vision. While you have wider goals for the future, you set yourself mini-goals for each week and each day. You know how you intend to reach your goals. Your vision is a vivid picture that dances in your mind.

11. You try to see positives in each setback or difficulty.

There’s a positive hidden in each setback or difficulty. Now, you look for those positives. No longer do you focus on the setbacks themselves, as you did in the past. You see beyond to the good things that accompany negative circumstances. You even get excited about obstacles because of the positive outcomes that can result. Obstacles can lead to places you never dreamed of.

12. You’ve acknowledged that you don’t need to be perfect.

Some of the stress has been removed from your life, now that you’ve stopped striving for perfection. Actually, you have learned to accept yourself the way you are – vibrant and competent. You believe in yourself. You make mistakes just like all of us. You look at mistakes as “life’s little lessons” that make you a stronger person. A better version of yourself emerges from the mistakes and propels you forward.

13. You are aware that building self-confidence is a key to success.

Feeling confident gives calmness and sets people up for success. You have worked at becoming more confident and that is commendable. Confidence is a skill to acquire, if you are traveling the road to success. The key to becoming confident is to repeat a particular technique until you can do it comfortably. You’ll fail at the start (of course), but getting up and trying again is part of the process.

14. You give away smiles regularly – it’s a habit.

You smile at people you pass on the street. You toss a coin to buskers and make them smile. You send emails or text messages, praising friends for something they’ve accomplished. Sometimes you do it just because they are who they are. Smiling makes you calmer and happier inside. This attitude shines bright enough to influence others.

15. You’ve built up a support group of family and friends.

You’ve had to let go of some people who, in the past, dragged you down by making you stressed or anxious. Letting go is very difficult to do. It’s a huge step you’ve taken towards success, though. Instead, you have a support group of family and friends with whom you can laugh, discuss, confide, and plan. They love you for the wonderful person you are.

16. You’re doing what you want to do in life because you are in control.

Following your own path, and really enjoying the journey, is a sure-fire way to be successful. You don’t let other people’s opinions stop you from moving towards your dream. You feel empowered and in control of where you’re going. You’re comfortable with this situation.

17. You consistently factor recreational activities into your routines.

You’re well on the way to success when you timetable exercise and recreational activities into your day. Taking time for yourself is essential in order to relax the mind and body before returning to the work environment. Go to the gym, run, play golf, meet friends for a chat and coffee, or do any other activity that you enjoy. It will recharge your batteries. You’ll feel refreshed, particularly if you do something outdoors.

Things aren’t as bad as you think, after all.

So, you ARE succeeding in life, aren’t you?
It’s okay if you’re not saying “yes” to all seventeen signs of success. Even if you acknowledge one of them, that’s a start. Be happy that you’ve started on the success journey, now go add another… and another.
Success is not a place you travel to, but a part of every day. Success takes effort and persistence. Appreciate your small achievements. Always focus on the positive things in your life.
Yes, you are stepping towards success, even when you don’t feel that you are.
Now, just keep going.

Friday, December 18, 2015