I had a pretty crummy day on Sunday.

I went to start the car in the morning – and it would not start. Flat battery! So that meant I had to cancel my Sunday morning plans… and wait an hour and a half for the car guy to come around.

In the afternoon, I went out to put the garbage out… and tried to come back into the house, only to find that my key would not work. So now I’m locked out of the house.

Good thing my wife was in the house… so she could let me in. We tried her key… and it didn’t work either. So now we’re both under house arrest as it were – we can’t both leave the house at the same time because we can’t get back in. And it’s Sunday which means that locksmiths charge double, so we decide to wait until Monday.

I want to go the gym… but my knee starts playing up. So I’m left to sit on the couch… put ice on my knee and think about how nothing was going right.

None of these things are life threatening… but don’t we all have those kinds of days where everything just seems to go wrong… where you can’t seem to get anything right and the whole world seems to be against you.

Well that’s exactly how I felt on Sunday… and I would have probably felt that way all of Sunday if I had not consciously decided to make a change.

And how do you change your attitude when you feel so crummy? In my post, “how to change your attitude”, I outline 7 tips on how to change your attitude from negative to positive.

But what did I do on Sunday that changed my attitude in a matter of minutes from crummy to contented?

I got grateful!

Grateful? That sounds strange, right?

I mean, how on earth are you supposed to get grateful or invoke the power of gratitude when everything around is going wrong?

It’s a simple 2 step process.

Step 1: Ask yourself – what am I grateful for in life right now?

Often when we feel so down in the dumps, it’s because we are focusing on the few things that are going wrong… when there is actually so much that is going well in our lives.

However, the problem is that when we are so focused on the negative… it is almost as if we are determined to feel miserable so this question won’t always work. If it does not work, go to step 2.

Step 2: Ask yourself – what could I be grateful for right now, if I really wanted to be?

This question is probably one of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself when you are trying to change your attitude.

When I was financially destitute, desperate and disheartened, the only way for me to keep going was to try and find things to be grateful for. For those of you who don’t know my story, I was over $100,000 in debt, unemployed, single, fat and I would have been homeless if not for my parents allowing me to live with them – rent free!

So I had to keep asking myself this question – and here are some of the things I came up with that were on my list… when I was at my lowest point.

• I have a roof over my head
• I have a warm bed to sleep in every night
• I still have my family
• I can experience the beauty of sunshine, fresh air and nature.

Sounds corny right? Maybe… but when you have nothing going for you, you need to start somewhere.

So when you are feeling a little down – ask yourself, this question.

And by the way, when I asked myself this question on Sunday, what did I come up with?

• My car battery went flat while I was at home… rather than when I was out in the middle of nowhere or on the highway. Wow, I’m lucky.
• My house key stopped working when my wife was home… thank goodness. Otherwise, we’d have both been locked out.
• My knee was sore while I was home on a Sunday… so I could just sit on the couch with some ice without having to be anywhere at any particular time.

When I started looking at things this way, I realised just how lucky I was.

So start using the power of gratitude, ask yourself the question: “What could I be grateful for right now, if I really wanted to be?” … and start enjoying the benefits of a positive attitude and a more positive outlook on life.

Let me know if you agree with the power of gratitude by leaving me a comment below.

To your success,

Niro

PS: If you liked this post, please share it on twitter, facebook and stumbleupon. I’d really appreciate it

What does it mean to be successful? What if it was a simple as a smile? Sounds strange doesn’t it? If success was really as easy as putting a smile on our faces, why don’t we all just smile more?

How do you define success if it does not involve putting a smile on your face… and putting a smile on other people’s faces?

I have to admit, I’m one of those who used to think that success came with the massive bank balance, the fancy cars and the nice houses. If you told me to smile more, I’d have told you to get off the drugs and get serious about success. However, the reason I did not smile is because I was not happy. There was always something more to do, something more to achieve – I was always so busy that I did not have the time to enjoy the fruits of my labour. My family rarely saw me and after a while my friends stopped inviting me to things because they knew I was “too busy”. So they were out enjoying life while I was busy working. I just figured that once I landed that bigger deal, I got my fancy car and bought the big house then I’d stop and smile more. Then I’d stop and relax. But of course, I didn’t. Life was passing me by and I did not know it.

I’d see a young child run past me with the biggest smile on her face and I’d wish for a moment to be a kid again so I could smile and be carefree. I’d recall my younger days when I could smile and laugh without being burdened by responsibility. Of course, now I was too busy building my business to be able to do that – at least that’s what I thought. I, like so many other people, believed that happiness came after “succeeding”. I had it backwards and I was about to learn the truth, the hard way.

In just a few months, I fell from being one of the top in my field to being nearly bankrupt and scrambling to make ends meet. I didn’t know if this was a natural part of every entrepreneur’s journey but all I knew was that I was down. So now I finally had some time on my hands, I finally had time to stop and think. As I did, I started to realise that I had been on a journey that was not giving me any joy, happiness or fulfilment. I had not had a reason to smile in quite a while. Sure, I felt good and I smiled whenever I landed a great deal or made a massive sale or when someone cracked a joke, but that sense of happiness quickly faded away.

Now here I was, with very little left to my name, struggling to make ends meet but with plenty of time on my hands. So I had to do something and I did. I started to go for nature walks, get some fresh air, watch the birds take flight and I started to enjoy the little things in life.  I started to let life in. I also started to focus on my health and fitness, not to look good as had been my previous motivation but to have more energy. I also started looking for things to smile about. The amazing thing was that as I started to look for things to smile about, I found them.

I woke up early and smiled at the beauty of the sunrise over the hills, I smiled as I watched the birds go hunting for worms, I smiled as I took a deep breath of fresh air as the wind brushed my face, I smiled at the little kids who ran past me down the street with so much joy, I smiled as I jumped in the puddles when it rained, I smiled after a hot shower and I smiled whenever I got to see my family. I also started to call my friends and reconnect, some of them I was calling for the first time in over 18 months. The amazing thing was the joy they felt at hearing from me put an even bigger smile on my face. As time went by, my challenges remained and I still did not know exactly what the next chapter of my life would entail but I was happier than I had been when I was at the top. I was smiling more than ever before and I just felt like I could handle anything. For me waking up every day, being grateful for having a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in was something to smile about. Every morning as I woke up, I smiled with gratitude at the day ahead. I decided that in the new chapter of my life, success was going to begin with a smile.

Today I am more successful, by the accepted rules of success, than I ever have been. However, I remember the great lesson the Universe taught me; that success begins with a smile. The amazing thing is that with my new mindset of waking up looking for new things to smile about, I am naturally happier. I am in a better frame of mind and a better physical state – and as a result I am more productive and achieving goals faster than ever before. I am still amazed at how choosing to smile and being happy first leads to greater fulfilment and ultimately longer term success.  I am enjoying my work more and I am often seen with a smile on my face. Why? Because I can smile and because I want to smile. Do we really need any other reason?

Start today and look for more things to smile about. You’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll start looking at your problems in a different light. Smile first while you work and you can happily achieve rather than achieving to be happy.

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. And please share this on twitter, facebook and stumbleupon.

To your happiness,

Niro

In the last month, the world has lost two young souls who had the world at their feet. Brittany Murphy known for such films as “8 Mile” and for being the voice behind Gloria on “Happy Feet” passed away on December 20, 2009 at the age of 32. Her film career was starting to blossom and she was ready to take the world by storm – and yet she is now longer with us.

Casey Johnson was the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune and could have done almost whatever she wanted to with her life. And yet, she too is now longer with us, passing away at the young age of just 30.

From this, we see just how fragile life is. Many people live life as if we can delay our dreams and delay taking the actions that will bring us everything we want in life. We live life taking the people we care about for granted, never realising that tomorrow it could all be over. By no means am I suggesting that you become morbid about life – rather I believe we need to appreciate life and make the best of every single day that we have. Life is just too short to be playing at less than our potential or to be taking things for granted.

One of my mentors told me to constantly connect with my mortality. After all, it is a fact that one day we will no longer be here. So live each day as if it was your last but plan as if you will live forever. Getting that balance right is key to a fulfilled, happy and successful life.

Start by being grateful for the good things in your life and start by showing the people who are important to you just how much you care. Also, have a look at your life right now – is it in balance? Are you spending your time in line with what is most important to you? If not, why not? Are you too busy running around being busy that you have forgotten to live the life of your design? It’s easy to say that we’re busy – in fact people are busier today than ever before. But remember, one day this will all come to an end and when you are in your last few moments of your life, will you look back and have preferred to spend extra time in your cubicle at work or extra time with the people you care about? Would you have preferred to have spent more time looking at the walls of your office or exploring the world?

Remember life is short! Attack it with everything you’ve got – go for your dreams. After all, you’re not going to get out of this thing alive. The only question is – how long do you have? And that’s anyone’s guess. So don’t put your dreams off! Start living today as if today was your last day on earth but then plan to live forever because you could be around for a while yet

Remember, when you came into this world, you were crying and everyone was happy. When your final moments come, make sure you live your life in a way that you are smiling and everyone else is crying. Live your life such that the impact of it outlasts you.

To living your best life,

Niro Thambipillay

PS: If you want some assistance with how to get more done each day and have the time to spend on the things that matter to you so you can live your dreams, then sign up below for my 5 Essentials to Peak Performance Video training series where I’ll show you:

• How to double your productivity so you can get twice as much done in a day.
• How to reduce the amount of stress you experience each day by half.
• How to reduce the impact of distractions and interruptions by 70%
• How to finally have the time to work on the things that matter to you, rather than constantly trying to fulfil everyone else’s expectations.
• How to enjoy greater feelings of inner peace and contentment every single day.

Just give me your name and email address below and I’ll give you instant access to the first video!

0 people like this post.

Like 

We’ve all heard about the power of our attitude and that it’s our attitude that determines how much we succeed in life. Statements such as “It’s not just our aptitude but our attitude that determines our success” are often sprouted and I think we’d all agree that people with a positive attitude just seem to enjoy life more and are generally happier and more successful. But how do we change our attitude? Here are 7 simple tips I’ve used often that you can implement to change your attitude very quickly.

1. Be honest with yourself.

If you’re feeling bad or down and your attitude towards life or work is quite poor, then admit it to yourself. Don’t live in denial. Accept there is an issue because only once you’ve accepted something for the way it is can you make a change.

2. Get some rest

Have there been times when you’re overworked and stressed and you’re not getting as much rest as you should? How do you feel during those times? I bet you’re agitated and the smallest things can set you off. Often just getting some rest and forcing ourselves to take a break can be the best thing for our attitude. Adequate rest and sleep is a vital ingredient to maintaining a positive attitude.

3. Get clear on exactly what is causing you to have such a bad attitude

What exactly is bothering you? Is it your boss? Your partner? Your kids? There have been many times when I know I’m not quite feeling right but I can’t put a finger on exactly what’s bothering me and until I can figure it out, my attitude remains bad. However, once I figure out exactly what is bothering me (and that usually only takes a few minutes of quiet reflection), I can then do something about it and my attitude immediately changes.

4. Look at the Consequences of your Bad Attitude

For example, are you stressed at work because of impending deadlines? Is that causing you to snap at your kids and walk around the house with a bad attitude. If so, look at the consequences of that. Your poor kids and your partner have got nothing to do with how things are at work. So why should they cop the brunt of your poor attitude? If you continue with this, what’s going to happen? Things at home will only get worse and that will only make your attitude even worse. It’s a negative spiral which is very tough to get out of. So get clear on the consequences of your bad attitude. Who are you hurting as a result of being grumpy?

5. Do Something to change your attitude

What can you do to improve your attitude? For example, if you’ve had a bad day at work and you’re about to walk in the door and see the family with that same bad attitude, what can you do to change the way you feel? If I’m walking home, I will often take a longer route. The added exercise and fresh air often helps clear my head or I’ll start listening to some uplifting music which immediately improves my attitude. I might also go for a run or head to the gym. What can you do to change your attitude.

6. Change the way you are looking at the situation

We all have trigger situations that cause us to get into a bad mood and to have a bad attitude toward life. Remember it is not the event, experience or problem itself but rather the way we respond to it that makes us feel the way we do. For example, if you feel like you have too much to do at work, rather than complaining and wishing it will go away, take on your extra work as a challenge. Imagine how good it would feel to get through all this work and have your head about water again. Then, with your new positive attitude attack your workload with a new enthusiastic gusto. I guarantee that when you change the way you look at something, your attitude and your results will immediately change.

7. Have an attitude of gratitude.

When Sir John Templeton was interviewed and he was asked what the definition of wealth is, he replied, “Live with an attitude of gratitude”. Everyday, look for things to be grateful for. I don’t care how tough things get, there is always something to be grateful for, whether it is as simple as the fact that you have eyes to see things with, a roof over your head or a bed to sleep in. Look for 5 things to be grateful for everyday, seek to live with an attitude of gratitude and watch your entire attitude towards life change.

So there you have it – 7 tips you can use immediately to change your attitude. Remember, you have complete control over your attitude – you can choose the way you feel. So use these 7 steps to improve your attitude and you’ll be amazed at how much more relaxed and happier you feel.