Success
No matter who you are, this is something we all can relate to. We’ve all had a point in our lives where we just can’t seem to escape, we’re stuck. Whether you are stuck at a boring job, stuck in school, or stuck financially, there’s ways that you can begin your escape. Hope is plentiful, things will eventually change, even if you currently don’t see how. To speed up the process and to escape a rut, here are 7 tips.
1. Plan
To get unstuck you need to know where you want to head and what your first step in that direction needs to be. Write down, in a notebook, everything you view as being the point where you’ve finally escaped your rut. That may be when you’re owning your own business or when you have a million dollars. Then after that, write down what it will take for you to get there.
2. Take steps
Every single day, you MUST take a step to get out of this ditch. There’s no reason you can’t. Even a baby step that takes five minutes will help tremendously.
3. Partner with someone
Fitness experts recommend this to people who want to lose weight. Partner with a friend who also wants to achieve major goals and dreams. You’ll be able to keep each other motivated and even put a little bit of positive pressure on one another.
4. Keep track
With every little success and every little failure, keep note of them. Even create a time line so that you can look back. Each successful step will motivate you to the next. Even failures can motivate you to achieve greatness.
5. Mentally eliminate the rut
Perhaps you’re the one who created this rut. May be you aren’t stuck at all. Readjust your thinking and the hole you’re trapped in could disappear.
6. Change your routine
When you have the “same old” routine everyday, you’ll quickly feel like you’re stuck in a rut. Modify your routine, spice it up, switch things around, or add some new things to your routine.
7. Endure
If you have a lot of patience, then simply endure your time stuck in a rut. Things are never permanent and will eventually change. However, it’s better if you are in control.
Naysayers come in all shapes and sizes. They can be young or old, more successful or less successful than you, and many times they are your close friends and relatives. Naysayers are always looking for the negative aspects of everything, whether it be because of fear or even jealously. Here are 8 ways to deal with their negativity, follow your dreams, and beat their naysaying.
1. Take their opinions into consideration
This is especially true for naysayers who are friends and family. If they love you, they’ll have you best interests in mind. Take what they have to say into consideration but don’t lose your dream. Perhaps your plan and approach is not right. You should always have a flexible plan that you can modify. Taking their opinions into consideration may not seem like beating them but as long as you don’t give up your dreams and goals, you’ll be winning.
2. Keep your goals private
If you don’t want to hear the negativity from the naysayers then don’t tell them about your dreams and goals. Wait until you achieve some success before you share with them. I’m sure they’ll still find something to be negativity about but you’ll be able to silence them somewhat.
3. Laugh it off
The best way to beat negativity is to be positive. So just laugh it off. Don’t worry about what the naysayers have to say and move on.
4. Use their negativity for motivation
Nothing gets me more motivated to chase my dreams than someone telling me it can’t be done. Use a naysayer’s negativity as fuel to achieve your desires and to prove them wrong.
5. Pinpoint where their negativity comes from
To make yourself feel better and to understand where the naysayers are coming from, pinpoint what it is that makes them so negative. Is it because they didn’t fulfill their own dreams or is it because of jealousy? It helps to find their insecurities but don’t confront them about it.
6. Get away
This is simple, but just get away from the naysayers and their negativity. Walk away until they can become more positive. You need to surround yourself with as many positive people and as much positive energy as possible.
7. Spark fire in the naysayers
Most likely naysayers need motivation to achieve what they really desire because they don’t believe they can. You can help them. You’re pursuing your dreams so show them the way.
8. Never give up on your dreams
Giving up on your dreams is exactly what the naysayers want you to do. Obviously you want to beat them, so giving up your dreams is not even an option. When the going gets tough, remember why you’re pursuing your dreams, the end result, the freedom and satisfaction.
I haven’t made a billion dollars or even anything close to a million, yet. But I know I will. Why would I want this much money? It’s not for the material possessions it can buy you, though they’re a nice treat, but the time and freedom that it buys. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want.
So how am I going to make a billion dollars and how can you do it too? Here is what you need, the recipe for a billion dollars.
Action
Action is the first step on the staircase to a billion dollars. You aren’t going to make a billion by laying around all day.
Passion
This is one of the most important factors in success and making a billion dollars. You have to have passion for what you do or you’re just going to give up. If you don’t like it, don’t do it.
Persistence
No matter what life throws at you, you can never give up. Even if a venture doesn’t work out move onto something else. As long as you continue down your road to success, you’ll make it.
Ideas
To become a self-made billionaire you almost always need ideas. Whether it’s a new way to do something or a new invention, you have to think outside the box. However, you also need to execute your ideas correctly. A million people may come up with the same idea but it’s that one person who executes it correctly who succeeds.
Help
You can’t make a billion dollars without the assistance from numerous people. They don’t need to be partners in your business but you will need people to give you their time and give you a chance. Make friends and contacts, you’ll need them at some point. On the other end, you also need to help people. Whether it’s donating money or helping people you know, you’ll get back what you put out. If you can’t help others you can’t help yourself.
Have fun
This goes along with passion, if you’re not having fun then don’t do it, you won’t succeed. When you’re an entrepreneur work shouldn’t feel like work.
Learn
The old saying goes “you learn something new everyday”. But if you want to make a billion dollars, you need to learn much more than that, every single day. Have an open mind so that you can learn new things and spot opportunities.
Care
You have to care about people to succeed. Take care of your employees, customers, friends, family and yourself.
Dedication
Unfortunately there’s going to be times when you have to give up something you love so that you can dedicate your time to your business.
Be an entrepreneur or think like one
Most millionaires and billionaires are entrepreneurs. It’s rare to work for someone else and earn a billion dollars. Even if you aren’t an entrepreneur, it’s good to think like one. Think outside the box, think of the future, and think of what needs to be done better.
There’s no guarantee that you’ll make a billion dollars but these tips will set you on the right path. It’s best if you set your goals far because you’ll go far.
The story of Walt Disney demonstrates that if you can dream big things, you can achieve big things. Walt’s dreams have enabled millions of children and adults to dream as well. No matter who you are or where you’re from, Walt has positively affected your imagination and life.
The Beginning
On December 5, 1901, Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois. When Walt was a young child his family moved to Missouri. At an early age, Walt began to show an interest in his imagination and drawing. At the same time Walt began to become interested in motion pictures.
Early Obstacles
When Walt was a teenager his father moved him and his family back to Chicago. While Walt was a freshman in high school, he also took night classes at The Chicago Art Institute.While attending, Walt developed his creative and artistic skills even further. During this time World War I was raging. At sixteen, Walt made a significant decision and decided to drop out of high school. He wanted to join the army and attempted to do so. However, Walt was underage so the army did not allow him to join. But not letting the rejection stop him, Walt decided to join the Red Cross instead. Walt became an ambulance driver with the foundation. This gave him the opportunity to travel to other countries and be apart of something positive.
Following A Passion
When Walt finished his duties with the Red Cross, he came back to America and moved to Kansas City. There, he got back into drawing and got his first taste of the business world. Walt worked at a company creating advertisements for newspapers, magazines, and movie theaters. However, Walt did not want to settle at this company. In 1920, at age nineteen, Walt launched a company with a friend, Ubbe Iwerks. The company was called Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists. Walt and Ubbe had tough times with this business. Ubbe felt forced to leave for work at a film ad company so that he could make ends meet. The company was eventually taken over by it’s investors so Walt decided to move on as well.
A New Start
After launching an unsuccessful business, Walt quickly moved on. He set his sights on Hollywood. With his brother, Roy, the started an animation studio in their uncle’s garage with their savings. They had less money and tighter resources but were off to a better start. Soon after launching they struck a deal with a New York company to distribute some of Disney’s animated shorts. Walt found more success than he had in the past, but this was only the beginning.
The Mouse That Changed It All
Walt had to face another obstacle after his early achievements. His company lost the rights to a cartoon character that was responsible for much of their success. He literally went back to the drawing board to create another character. This is when Mickey Mouse was born. Walt created some rough sketches of a mouse and had his past business partner and friend, Ubbe refine the sketches. Walt and Ubbe created a short called Steamboat Willie, with Walt as the voice of Mickey. Steamboat Willie brought Walt and the studio a huge amount of success and defined their studio.
Steamboat Willie became one of the crucial steps that turned Disney into what it is today. Without Walt’s previous “failures” the world and our lives would be much different. Walt’s story shows that one person can change the world.
7 Lessons from Walt Disney
1. Dream big, achieve big - Walt dreamed unlike anyone else during his time and he made those dreams a reality.
2. Don’t wait - Even when Walt was in high school, he found a way to chase his artistic dreams now, rather than waiting till he became older.
3. Find a way - Walt wanted to be a part of the army so that he could help the country but wasn’t able to do so because he was underage. However, he joined the Red Cross as an even better way to help.
4. Harness your powers - Walt had a talent for art and creativity. He used that to his advantage to become successful.
5. Move on - When something didn’t work out for him, he didn’t dwell upon it. There’s always something else you can do.
6. Don’t settle when you achieve success - Walt achieved success early on with his second company but he didn’t stop there. He expanded and challenged himself to create more.
7. If it doesn’t exist, create it - Before Disneyland, theme parks did not exist. Walt saw an opportunity to create something new.
Age shouldn’t even be considered an obstacle on the road to success anymore. Whether you’re young or old, you can achieve great things. Elizabeth Torres is a testament to this. Elizabeth is twenty years old, a motivational speaker, poet, and painter. She has accomplished so much in a short time because she started at an even younger age. Elizabeth was born in Bogota, Colombia. She had a talent in the arts at a very young age. By six years old she was already publishing poetry and showing the world her artistic skills. Her poetry and art helped her gain recognition. At age ten she published a book entitled, Questions without Answer. This book became a best seller in Colombia. Questions without Answer brought even more recognition and awards to Elizabeth. She was invited to various universities and communities in the US to share her story and to motivate others towards their dreams.
Today, Elizabeth resides in New Jersey. She now shares her story with high school and college students around the United States. Elizabeth also recently published another book of poetry called Because the Flame is Alive.
Lyved received the opportunity to ask Ms. Torres a few questions about success and life.
You have accomplished a lot at a very young age, do you believe age is just a number?
In my opinion, we should count not by years, days, hours and minutes… But by heartbeats. Whenever you are doing whatever it is that makes you happy, anxious, adventurous or satisfied…like discovering a new place, meeting with an old friend, traveling or starting a new project, your heart beats of excitement. That’s when you are most alive.
If we sat down and did nothing for a whole year, we would still grow older. What matters is what you make of those years.
As a child, I realized that my life was the result of my actions. If I considered myself too young, I was stuck in the waiting room of life for a few years, and I didn’t want that. So I started to open doors for myself, which takes a lot of discipline and effort, but the results are amazing. I would wake up early in the morning to write poetry, attend to classes, and afterwards, give conferences. Now that I am 20, the age when most motivational speakers are just getting started…I already have at least 12 years of experience.
What is your favorite quote?
I don’t truly recall where I first heard this quote, it’s a latin phrase that I’ve kept close to me ever since: Gutta cavat Lapidem. (The drop hollows the stone). It is an excellent reminder of how our daily lives reflect nature’s perfection. It isn’t strength but perserverance that will allow us to arrive to our destination, no matter what awaits for us along the road.
A second quote I’ve grown very attached to is one that appears in one of the poems in my latest book “Because the Flame is Alive”…. it says, the world endures, “because the flame is still alive”. And as you can see I titled my book the same way. It became my motto. Because it’s been proven that men can survive without food, even without water, but not without oxygen and fire. To me, life is combustion, it is hope, it is love, it is energy…and even though we cannot see it, we belong to it and depend on it. When we breath, we are connected to the world and the world takes from us too, and in this process, our flame breaths. It’s a reminder that we are not alone… Knowing that there is a greater presence, that we belong, and that we are loved, ignites our flame, and keeps us going.
What is the greatest obstacle you ever faced? And how did you overcome it?
Whenever you pursue a dream, or decide to simply step out of bed and do something productive, you’re bound to find obstacles. I see them as challenges that make you earn your results. I’ve had hundreds of doors closed on my face since I was a child, because publishing companies didn’t believe in the words of a child… I always struggled to get my work out there, to share my message, to make time for everything that a dream requires. Then, when I traveled to this country, I had to learn a new language, and that to me was pretty difficult, but now that I understand it and have the capability of enjoying its beauty, I know it was all worth it. Obstacles are meant to awaken our creativity, they are opportunities to prove our skills, our strength, and our perseverance.
What has been the most crucial factor to your success?
I would say it’s been to never underestimate the opportunities in front of me. While promoting my books I was often invited to college campuses, corporate companies and theaters, but also to little community centers, local radio stations, and family reunions. I enjoyed them all equally, because I learned that from every reunion, big or small, a new door opens. I listened to the advice those people around me had to say, and more connections arrived, more interviews, more conferences. It was an unstoppable chain of reaction. We could sum it up by saying: Keep moving, keep the world interested.
When you set out on achieving a goal, what are your first steps?
Every object around us, from a building, to a car, to a cup of coffee, was first an idea in the mind of someone who dared to try it and make it a reality. You see, success principles are not what you find in expensive books and pay thousands to learn. They are the experiences that life teaches you when you follow the right path, and the clues that it shares with you to guide you and protect your dream. In this case, the principle would be: imagine, believe, act. Or to develop it even further: Develop an idea into a project, create a business plan, do some research, set short term goals to keep track of your progress, and get to work.
You are very positive and happy but is there one thing that really puts a smile on your face?
Of course! The company of my family, my brother’s perfect memory when discussing movies and comedy shows…. walks in new york city, the shakespeare and co. bookstore in Paris…. La Casa de Poesia Silva in La Candelaria, Colombia (a colonial house dedicated to poetry in my country of origin)… I not only smile but sometimes even cry just by listening to a good poem or by being caught by surprise by a good song.
Another reason why I smile every day is because I know that more and more young people are discovering their talents and using them to their advantage, taking control of their lives and making a difference in the world. This makes me smile because it’s always been my dream. To quit hearing about wars and terrorism and dissappointments, and hear once again the song of balance in the universe, and on earth, among men and women.
Have you found your purpose in life?
Ever since I was a little girl I always had this idea in my mind that I would become a renowned writer, a famous artist, and a famous motivational speaker. I would visualize myself traveling all over, presenting my books, giving interviews and speaking to huge audiences. To me, this was the only way I could share a little bit of my flame with the world around me, and give back for all the blessings I have received. I look at myself now and I smile because I know I’ve followed the right path. I’ve listened to thousands of anecdotes of people who have changed because they were motivated by my message. This life I’ve chosen is a great responsibility because it isn’t something I do for myself, I do it for all those who don’t have a voice, so that their voice can be heard too. And if the satisfaction and complete happiness I get after every conference and interview means that I’ve found my purpose in life, then I have. Since there are so many goals yet to be accomplished, I cannot sit to wait and find an answer… When my hands are wrinkled and my feet cannot keep going, I’ll know for sure.
What is the one thing that frustrates you about the young people of the world? Or even people of all ages?
Interesting question… sometimes I get frustrated because of the attitudes of people towards themselves. You know? When they wake up in the morning already accepting failure, because they are petrified of it and so they do not dare to even try and change it. It’s like if they had been programmed to think that failure means the end of the world, when it’s simply a new lesson. Another thing that truly frustrates me and saddens me is that ambitious hunger for power and for material properties, that sometimes even leads to people taking away from their own brothers. It’s something we teach our children, because it’s adults that do it. Children like to share because they are still innocent, they like to enjoy everything around them, amazed as if it were an adventure. I wish I could tell these people: Don’t waste your time damaging and hurting those around you just for material treasures… when you close your eyes, they’re not there anymore.
Do you believe that where you are today does not determine where you can go tomorrow?
Where we are today is without doubt the result of what we worked for yesterday. But it does not determine where we’ll be tomorrow. Tomorrow is different. Tomorrow is hope, it is our new chance to prove ourselves, and change our destiny.
What is next for you?
For this year, I plan to continue promoting my book “Because the Flame is Alive” in the U.S and abroad… I am already working on another book, and several other projects to expand my audience and share my message. I believe that I can set a positive example for future generations, and that I can help young people become leaders, so that’s my greatest goal. I’ll soon be traveling to Ireland and London, and in the following 6 months, to Mexico, Colombia and Canada… Wherever there is someone doing something positive, I want to be there to help them… Keep the flame alive in me, and ignite it in others, until we’ve all become keepers of the flame of love, liberty and hope.
For more on Elizabeth Torres please visit her website here.
