10 Powerful Habits of The Ultra Successful

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“Successful people are simply those with successful habits” – Brian Tracy

We often run through life, envious of all the people who “made it”. Not being able to recognize exactly why they are where they are in life. We’re confused as to what trickery or black magic these people have applied in their life that has enabled them to rise to the top of their industry. Unfortunately we’re never able to distill this “special ingredient” or “secret” that has kept us in doubts for so long. Eventually it can even drive us to the brink of insanity But I’d say we’re searching for the wrong things.. How so?

• What’s the one thing that made him so much money?
• What’s the one thing that allowed him to have so many friends?
• What’s the single source of his great health?
• …

We’re primarily focused on certain events whilst almost every (if not all) successful aspects we recognize in a person is the sum of different processes. These processes are basically different habits that have been built up over time which have compounded in the results they’re experiencing in their life. I call this habit-stacking Habit-what? ——————————————————————————–

What Is Habit Stacking?

Habit stacking is the process of incrementally (meaning gradually) implementing new, empowering habits in your day-to-day life. These daily, high-leverage tasks will “stack up” over time which will in turn improve what I call your “success-level” For illustrative purposes, here’s fancy infographic I made;   The quantity and quality of every success habit performed, will define the altitude of your success-level. I’ve seen this pattern recurring in many different successful people I’ve observed the past years. People like Warren Buffet, Anthony Robbins, Elon Musk, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Owen Cook and many more. The people who obviously “have their stuff together” The stacking of these habits creates an immense amount of control over their life and therefore yields the compounding results they have acquired.
By analyzing and defining their different habits, I’ve compiled a list of what I believe are the 10 most potent habits to implement in your life.

Ten Essential Success Habits

(Speed) Learning

I’ve seen this habit recurring time and time again. The wealthiest people of the world are avid learners. In an interview , Warren Buffet and Bill Gates were asked if they could have one superpower in the world, what would it be? They both argued that being the worlds fastest reader would be HUGE Why is it so effective?
Reading allows us to skip (partially) the process of trial and error by simulating the future in our mind, based on the knowledge we’ve acquired from other peoples’ mistakes. Why make your own when you can learn so much from others?
It allows us to “stand on the shoulders of giants” by acquiring information that enables us to avoid many failures.
How to start? Start by reading 15 pages every day (non-fiction)

Visualization

Often in life we harbor dis-empowering thoughts in our head;

• I’m not good enough
• I’m not good with women
• I don’t deserve to be rich
• I’m not able to lose any weight
• …

These are all perfect examples of limiting beliefs that become self-fulfilling prophecies and basically rob ourselves of everything we want out of life. People are not limited to these perceptions and are actually able to change these for the better (however, not many realize they can do this) How you perceive yourself and your surroundings literally sets the boundaries of your individual accomplishment. It basically defines what you can and cannot do. This is a social theorem defined by W.I Thomas and D.S. Thomas;

“People react not only to the situations they are in, but also, and often primarily, to the way they perceive the situations and to the meaning they assign to these perceptions. Therefore, their behavior is determined in part by their perception and the meaning they ascribe to the situations they are in, rather than by the situations themselves. Once people convince themselves that a situation really has a certain meaning, regardless of whether it actually does, they will take very real actions in consequence.”

So what should I do? Improve your self-image and your image of the world and likewise will your accomplishments grow to greater heights. The way I do this is by writing down how I want to perceive myself and visualize in detail how I will act in certain situations. Repetition is key! Eventually it will become real. This might sound like the black magic I referred to earlier, but it goes much deeper than that. You could argue that this is yet another pseudo-scientific trick to justify positive thinking but I personally believe (from several experiences and observations) that this “trick” works.
How to start? Read books like “Psycho-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “As A Man Thinketh” by James Allen (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Exercise & Diet

Our body is probably the single most important investment we can make in our life. And the only one we’re 100% convinced off that we’re always going to need it. Yet I see so many people gulping down fast-food, copious amounts of alcohol and neglecting any form of exercise. Everything you operate needs maintenance from time to time. You can compare your body to driving a car. If you don’t take care of your car, guess what’s going to happen? Buy a new one? Nope, game over buddy!
How to start? Make sure you get the recommended physical activity every day (if you can do more, do so!). Do this first thing in the morning and just get it over with. The consequences are far more detrimental.

Goal Setting (In Writing)

Writing down your goals has been proven time and time again that they can make a huge impact on your life altogether! A study about goal setting at Harvard University in the book “What They Don’t Teach You in the Harvard Business School” by Mark McCormack discovered the following truth about goal-setting and performance;

“Only three percent of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing; and a whopping 84 percent had no specific goals at all. Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were nonetheless astonishing. The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. And what about the three percent who had clear, written goals? They were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together.”

The truth is simply this; without goals you don’t have any direction in life and nothing really tangible to work towards. Result? You get nowhere. Pretty obvious stuff, right?
How to start? Set some goals! Here’s how I do it.

Planning & Prioritization

Do the most important things first. This is such a simple concept talked about by many high-achievers. I’ve read about this in “The One Thing” by Gary Keller, “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey and “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill What they all basically say is that you should find your one, most important focus for every single day (aligned with the goals you’ve set out for yourself) and consequently annihilate that goal in the morning until it is finished – everything else is a distraction. Simple, yet not easy.
How to start? Find your one, most important task for the day and execute accordingly. Also set a time limit on these goals, so you don’t get stuck in saying things like; “I’m done at x hour” or “my work gets done when it’s done.” Limitations create urgency. Urgency gets things done.

Money Management

Another big pillar in success is shifting from the consumer mentality into the investor mentality. See your little dollars as seeds. By spending your hard-earned money in a smart way you’ll be able to grow your investments into bigger pay-offs over time

• Don’t buy ridiculously overpriced smartphones
• Don’t amass great amounts of debt
• Don’t live above your means
• …

Basic stuff like that makes a huge difference over time.
How to start? Read some great books on financial beliefs and money management like “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” By Robert T. Kiyosaki, “The Millionaire Fastlane” by MJ Demarco and “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham.

Waking Up Early

Our time on earth is limited. With our average life expectancy of 78.6 years (as of 2014) we spent 25 years of that sleeping! Tai Lopez (who became a self-made millionaire in his 20′s) says that we only have 50 000 valuable hours to really dedicate to doing our greatest work. The rest of the time is spend in disability, sickness, sleeping, old age, young age and so-forth.
Imagine that I give you a check of $50 000 in the beginning of your life, how scarcely would you spend those dollars?
How to start? Start waking-up an hour earlier everyday! That’s 365 hours extra a year which equals more than two weeks! What are you waiting for? Tick-tock.

Build On Strength

We’re all born with our unique sets of strengths and talents yet we rarely develop those to our natural capacities. We fall into the trap of believing the “you can be anything you want” fairy-tale that has been fed to us by our surroundings. The truth (IMO) is this: We can only perform optimally from strength. Talent and investment serve as amplifiers for your achievement level. TALENT X INVESTMENT = STRENGTH Investment can be self-generated whilst raw talent is incredibly difficult to add.

While it may be possible, with a considerable amount of work, to add talent where little exists, our research suggests that this may not be the best use of your time – Strengthsfinder 2.0 by Tom Rath

My take on strengths is the following; Build your life on what you’re good at, but improve your weaknesses to the degree that they don’t hold you back.
How to start? A great way to get started and gain some priceless self-knowledge is by taking the personality test at 16Personalities.com. I found the results disturbingly accurate yet amazingly insightful.

Networking & Social Skills

Many successful people are not where they are solely because of their many skills and talents (which they have) but because they made themselves known to others. Ever heard the statement; It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know? In terms of success this certainly rings true. Mostly it’s not you that rises trough the ranks by your own effort. People rise to success by others lifting them up.
Additionally, by surrounding yourself with these “high-achievers” your own performance level will be increased. This is because the people we see regularly set the standard for what is appropriate and therefore we’ll adjust to that environment.
How to start? Read some books on basic social skills like “How To Win Friends And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie and get some great resources on networking! One website I’d definitely recommend is SmartBusinessRevolution.com by John Concoran (he has a GREAT free ebook).

Character

And last but certainly not least important: Character! By setting for ourselves a certain standard for acceptable behavior, we’re able to connect with other people on a genuine level. Things like; being honest, keeping secrets, having integrity, not cheating, not stealing and so-forth. People automatically want to connect with the ones who don’t have hidden agendas and are pure of heart. Immorality breaks relationships.
How to start? Write down for yourself a certain set of rules (a code of conduct) you will live by that will lead to a successful life (whatever that means to you). Be sure to include the essentials like integrity, honesty, responsibility and so-forth. Read these values when you get out of bed and live accordingly.

Essence

I know this can be a lot to take in and therefore I highly recommend building up each habit until it has become a natural part of your day-to-day routine. (don’t take on more than one at a time – two at max) New research shows that the formation of a new habit can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days (66 on average). So consistency is key here. Start with small steps and slowly build them up. Notice also that almost all the habits I’ve mentioned above are short-term sacrifices that will result in long-term benefits.
By overcoming forms of instant gratification like cheating, watching tv, splurging money, binge-eating and whatnot we set ourselves up for a great future. Delayed gratification is your ticket to success! (Which doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to enjoy life – within reason ) Anyway, that’s all I have to say on success habits for today. I hope I’ve been able to spike your curiosity to try out a new habit (or improve the quality/quantity of an old one) So, that leaves me with just one more question;

Courtsey of Simon Somlai http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/10-powerful-habits-of-the-ultra-successful/

How Successful People Handle Toxic People

How Successful People Handle Toxic People



This article from Forbes highlights how to deal with those that are becoming toxic in your life. A great read with some key points about how to rise above these situations while also reminding you not to let the fight take you down completely. Here at Taylor Made, we have a team that will help you accomplish whatever obstacles you may encounter whether it be the situation or the people involved. Our success is measured as a team.

Meet Carolyn! Taylor Made Marketing’s MVP for March!

Meet Carolyn! Taylor Made Marketing’s MVP for March!

 Where are you from?  Hamilton, NJ

What’s Favorite thing to do for fun? Play Soccer

What’s your favorite Food?  Pizza

What’s your favorite sports team? RedSox

What is the most rewording aspect of your role as Account Consultant?  My whole job is pretty rewarding, but I’d have to go with the most rewarding part is helping to coach and mentor others who have similar dreams as myself.

What are the most valuable things you’ve learned while working at Taylor Made Marketing? Some of the most valuable skills I’ve learned are how to train and develop others as well as becoming better at public speaking.

How would you describe the work culture and environment at Taylor Made? Fun and Energetic!  Sometimes I forget I’m at work.

What type of person would thrive at Taylor Made Marketing?  Someone who is hardworking, motivated, self-driven, as well was energetic, friendly and competitive.

Why did you decide to run this meeting for the other Taylor Made Marketing employees?   I chose to run 15 success principals because everyone wants to succeed, but in order to do so you MUST have a plan and goals to get there. 

Carolyn’s Meeting:

The 15 Success Principles You’ll Never Want To Forget

1 – Prepare

The first success principle is preparation. It’s the foundation of success. With preparation you create your own opportunities. Once you have all the different elements lined up, it only takes a small opening to realize your goal. At the same time, taking advantage of big opportunities without enough preparation means risking your success, as you’re building without a well-laid foundation.

2 – Do something you love

You have to work very hard whatever it is you choose to do. Your work or your project will dominate much of your time and your life. Therefore, find something that you enjoy doing and do that. 

3 – Get started

You have to start somewhere. Today is as good a day as any to start. Get into action today and start moving in the direction you want. Putting it off can only lead to failure, whereas if you start and see an early setback, at least you conquered that setback early on.

4 – Move in the right direction

Keep everything moving in the direction you want. It doesn’t matter if things go slowly initially. As long as the overall direction is favorable, you’ll get where you want to go eventually.

5 – Use the power of dreams and your imagination

What you dream and visualize today will become true tomorrow. You just have to work on turning it into reality. Just as your dreams can only influence your life if you let them, the cities you build in your imagination can only become real if you build them.

6 – Think big

If you set your aim a bit too high you might fall short. If you set your aim too low you might achieve your goal… and miss out on the other opportunities. By thinking bigger, the only limit is what is possible. You’re no longer limited by what you think is possible.

7 – Focus on growth

Seemingly impossible challenges are just cleverly disguised opportunities for growth. If you take those challenges and, in solving them, improve yourself, you’ll find yourself continually moving in the right direction.

8 – Maintain your determination

With enough determination, you can succeed through almost any odds. Enough determination means you’ll find a way no matter the situation.

9 – Set a clear vision

Think through where you’ll want to go. Develop a clear sense of what your final goal is, and keep this with you. By knowing the destination you want to reach, you can continually look at your current path and decide if it’s a route that will help you get where you want to go.

10 – Set goals along the way

A final goal isn’t enough. You need intermediate goals that set the path. These goals should be specific, measurable, realistic, attainable, and timely. These intermediate goals define the steps that you need to take to get to the final one.

11 - Work out plans of action for your work

For each goal, it helps to have plans to reach them. Your plan describes how you can reach each step from where you are, or where you will be. Keep in mind that the future is never certain. Things rarely work out exactly how you plan. Therefore, see these plans as showing one or more possible routes, not necessarily the route you’ll end up taking.

Still, knowing the plan means you can avoid long detours that might compromise your chances of reaching a goal on time — or at all.

12 - Commit to taking action

Once you start going, keep going. Never, never, never give up. If you find an obstacle in your way, chip away at it or go around it. The only way to really fail is to give up. If you keep going you’ll succeed. If you hit the limits of what’s possible, you can regroup and find another way.

13 - Use affirmations

Affirmations are just short, positive, and above all direct phrases in present tense. Things like “I’m getting more and more successful.” The idea is that they reinforce a positive world view. With affirmations, you are defining your own reality. By transmitting a positive world view to your mind, it adopts this view. As your mind adopts this view, it helps shape the world around you to fit it, which means it helps make the world around you one that reflects a reality of you getting more successful every day.

14 - Get rid of negative influences

Avoid harmful influences around you that might shake you from your goal. Keep people and ideas around you that support your success and your belief in yourself.

15 - Be grateful and appreciate what you have

The final success principle is to appreciate what you have already. Realize that — by sheer virtue of the fact that you can be reasonably certain you’ll live from one day to the next — you already have enough. Enjoy it! Appreciate what you’ve achieved so far, and see that what you want, where you’re going, is not what you need or what you must do. Rather, these are things and actions that will make your situation even better.

Article By James Meyer | Addicted2Success.com

Taylor Made Marketing March Madness Bracket Competition!

Winner of the Taylor Made Marketing March Madness Bracket Competition!

Taylor Made Marketing hosted a Bracket Competition for the NCAA March Madness tournament.  The winner of the competition received half of the pot and got to pick a charity for the other half to be donated to.   

Congratulations to Kyle for winning the Taylor Made Marketing NCAA Bracket Competition and we’re excited to put the other half of the winnings towards the National Breast Cancer Foundation!!

We wanted to find out a little bit more about Kyle and here his tricks to being the winner so we asked him a few questions:

Where do you live now? Lawrenceville, NJ

What University did you attend?  East Carolina University

What’s your Favorite Sports Team? Atlanta Braves

What’s your favorite food?  Vodka Rig 

What do you enjoy most about working at Taylor Made?  I enjoy the close knit feel of the office and the camaraderie that we exhibit on a daily basis.

What have you learned since working at Taylor Made Marketing?  I’ve learned how to not only grow as a person but also help others grow as well.

If you had to describe working at Taylor Made what would it be? Invigorating 

How did you choose your March Madness bracket?  Picking upsets, mostly luck though.

Why did you have Louisville going all the way?  Call it a “sixth sense”, Honestly, I thought they were the best team all season!

What made you choose the National Breast Cancer Foundation to contribute the other half of the bracket winnings to?  It’s a terrible disease that has affected many people in my life including family members.

Top Performer Weekend in Phoenix, AZ

Top Performer Weekend in Phoenix, AZ

In March, President, Austin Taylor was asked to attended a top performer weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.  This top performer weekend is a new event and will be held once a year from now on.  The overall objectives are to clearly define and recognize the top performers in the industry and give recognition for all the hard work and success they’ve had.  Austin was chosen because of the phenomenal year Taylor Made Marketing had in 2012 and is continuing into 2013.  Austin prides himself on the success of the company and continually displays his motivation and drive that there is always another goal to reach. 

The weekend ranged from getting coaching from top performers in the industry to enjoying relaxing day at one of the best resorts in Phoenix. The weekend wrapped up with a formal dinner where the managers were able to come together again and talk about their experiences throughout the weekend.  This social time helped make the retreat informational yet relaxing.   By attending All-star weekend managers were able to network, gain business experience, set goals, and have fun!

To see more Pictures from the weekend check out our Flickr HERE!