Copyright (c) 2009 Khadijah Ibrahim

In my opinion there are three basic things that everybody must do so that they would be successful whether it is online or offline business or even in their life. I believe that all successful people know and do these three basic things. I also could guarantee that if you ask any successful people, these three things would be the first things they mention.

What are the first three basic things that are important and you need to do?

Believe that you can succeed

With everything that you do whether in your online or offline business or even your life, the first thing you need to do is believe that you can succeed. Believe that you can achieve anything that you put your mind into. This is the first and important thing that you need to do before anything else.

You must be able to see yourself achieving your dream, hear the positive things that you would say when you achieve your dream and feel the feeling when you achieve your dream.

You might be asking why is your belief very important and be the first thing that you need to do?

It is important and the first thing that you need to do because without belief you would not feel the urgency to achieve your dreams. Without the belief that you could succeed you would never take any action to achieve your dreams.

Let me give you an example. If you are supposed to jump out of an aeroplane however you do not believe that your parachute will open and you would safely land on the ground, would you do it? I don’t think so.

The same goes with any venture that you are going to jump into. You need to have a belief before you do it. If you jump into any venture without any belief, I could assure you that when you meet with the first obstacle, the obstacle will definitely break you and you will give up.

So whatever you a going to do or choose, you need to believe that you would be able to succeed.

Take action

After a very long explanation on beliefs, I need to remind you on the second most important thing that you need to do.

Yes, that’s right; take action. If you believe with your whole heart that you could succeed but you are not taking any action to achieve it, how are you going to succeed? If you believe that you are going to be a millionaire however you are not taking any action, just waiting for somebody to hand you the money; will you be a millionaire? Unless of course if you have Uncle Ben who is a millionaire and you are going to inherit his money then may be you can just sit tight waiting for him to die. However with that kind of guarantee in your pocket, you must still take actions to ensure that he would not change his mind, mustn’t you?

If you want to succeed in an online business then start making plans on how to start building and do it. If you still do not know how to do it then start learning and ask people who already have the experience and knowledge.

If you want to be successful, start acting like successful people and do what they did to become successful.

So you see, just believing will not be enough you must take action.

Never give up

The third most important thing that you need to do is to never ever give up. You must realise that before success there will always be a lot of obstacles, roadblocks, frustrations and hard work.

I don’t think that there is anybody who is successful who never encountered these four things. If they didn’t, you better check them out to see whether they really are successful.

The truth is, obstacles, roadblocks, frustrations and hard work are good things. These are the things that make you stretch out and become a better person. Being successful is not just what you achieve but also who you become in the process of achieving success.

So there you are three basic but most important things that you must do to achieve success. With these three things everything else will come together and you will be on your way to achieve your dreams in no time.

Khadijah is a certified handwriting analyst, internet marketer, author, trainer and NLP practitioner. Listen to her talks about building online business and developing positive personality by clicking here to go to her blog and click here to see her website that shows you how your handwriting could reveal a lot about your personality

It seems pretty simple to set our goals toward success. Still, the process involves the use of many tools. A lot of people actually set out with a very poor toolbox in the beginning and they don’t reach the place they were hoping to reach. In order to have a winning plan for success in life, there are certain things that are just obvious, required tools that everyone should have if they hope to be successful person. At the top of the list is the ability to change your circumstances when you aren’t happy with the place you now exist. This requires the first tool known as courage.

If you plan to be successful in life, you have a choice to either accept your position or change it. You can’t decide to just plug along in your present condition hoping that someone else will change things for you. You have to create the opportunity in yourself to make a change and this requires courage. Often, people who are stuck in an abusive situation will feel as though they are trapped, controlled, and powerless to get out of that situation. They don’t realize that they have the same choice of changing their circumstances as anyone else. What paralyzes them is the fear of the unknown. They have become comfortable in their abusive situation and they don’t have the courage to break out of it. If you find yourself in circumstances that are obviously lowering your chance of success in life, then you need to change those circumstances. Courage is the first tool that will help you to begin.

After courage, there is another primary tool that you will need in your toolbox. The next major tool that is required is the willingness to persevere toward your goal.

Once you begin to apply the tool of courage, you will immediately be hit with a series of problems and difficulties in your new attempt to become successful. This is especially true in the first few weeks of your new direction in life. Because of this, you will also need the tool of willingness to persevere because courage may only last for a short time. Willingness, however, is a powerful tool that is even stronger than mere courage. It gives you the energy to keep fighting toward your success even in the face of difficulties and challenges. It gives you the ability to keep going no matter what.

Once you make it through those first few weeks on your new direction in life, you are going to need another tool that is even stronger than courage or willingness. You are going to need a solid plan that will be founded on your good sense and your capacity for reasoning and rationality. Courage is great and willingness is even better. These are great to begin with but a courageous attitude and striving ahead with the willingness to achieve success isn’t going to be enough. In order to get you to the top of the mountain, you are going to need more. Eventually, you will need a solid plan to keep you on track and to help you avoid all the difficulties you are going to encounter. You may develop a more rational and reasonable plan for success with a friend or by yourself but you are going to need that plan to be well thought out. Then you are going to have to go back and re-apply your willingness and your courage to put that plan back into action each day.

After a considerable period of time, working in a courageous manner with the willingness to persevere and to think reasonably and rationally in life, you will be well on your way to success. Many people make great strides in their life by simply applying these three tools for success.

What finally arrives as the cherry on the sundae, and which they eventually discover as the greatest tool of all, only comes after first going through the difficult times with courage, willingness and reasoning. Through the use of these three tools, a successful individual may eventually encounter the most powerful tool of Love and this tool may transform their life so as to make everything, which had previously seemed difficult, seem extremely easy and enjoyable.

Using the four tools of success, a person may eventually develop a toolbox which includes the greatest set of abilities a person can acquire. This toolbox filled with courage, willingness, reason and love will make a successful person of anyone and insure them of happiness and fulfillment in everything they do!

For a free complimentary e-book of Think and Grow Rich and information about a brand new video seminar home study course, please visit the following website http://www.prosperityactionplan.com

This method is in direct contrast to some of the now-outdated but once-popular techniques for dog training, some of which were frankly abhorrent: physical pain and intimidation (such as hanging an aggressive dog up by her collar), or inhumane methods of aversion therapy (such as shock collars for barking).

Positive reinforcement works with your dog. Her natural instinct is to please you – the theory of positive reinforcement recognizes that lessons are more meaningful for dogs, and tend to “stick” more, when a dog is able to figure out what you’re asking under her own steam (as opposed to, say, learning “down” by being forced repeatedly into a prone position, while the word “down” is repeated at intervals). When you use positive reinforcement training, you’re allowing her the time and the opportunity to use her own brain.

 Some ways for you to facilitate the training process: – Use meaningful rewards. Dogs get bored pretty quickly with a routine pat on the head and a “good girl” (and, in fact, most dogs don’t even like being patted on the head – watch their expressions and notice how most will balk or shy away when a hand descends towards their head). To keep the quality of your dog’s learning at a high standard, use tempting incentives for good behavior. Food treats and physical affection are what dog trainers refer to as “primary incentives” – in other words, they’re both significant rewards that most dogs respond powerfully and reliably to. – Use the right timing.

 When your dog obeys a command, you must mark the behavior that you’re going to reward so that, when she gets that treat in her mouth, she understands exactly what behavior it was that earned her the reward. Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device, which emits a distinct “click” when pressed. The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a dog to sit, you’d click the clicker just as the dog’s bottom hits the ground). You can also use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying “Yes!” in a happy, excited tone of voice will work perfectly. Make sure that you give her the treat after the marker – and remember to use the marker consistently.

 If you only say “Yes!” or use the clicker sometimes, it won’t have any significance to your dog when you do do it; she needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that she’s done something right whenever she hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly). So be consistent with your marker. – Be consistent with your training commands, too. When you’re teaching a dog a command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal cue you’re going to be giving her, and then stick to it. So, when training your dog to not jump up on you, you wouldn’t ask her to “get off”, “get down”, and “stop jumping”, because that would just confuse her; you’d pick one phrase, such as “No jump”, and stick with it.

Even the smartest dogs don’t understand English – they need to learn, through consistent repetition, the actions associated with a particular phrase. Her rate of obedience will be much better if you choose one particular phrase and use it every time you wish her to enact a certain behavior for you. How to reward your dog meaningfully All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations of physical affection. Some dogs will do backflips for a dried liver snippet; other dogs just aren’t ‘chow hounds’ (big eaters) and prefer to be rewarded through a game with a cherished toy, or through some physical affection from you.

You’ll probably already have a fair idea of how much she enjoys being touched and played with – each dog has a distinct level of energy and demonstrativeness, just like humans do. The best ways to stroke your dog: most dogs really like having the base of the tail (the lowest part of their back, just before the tail starts) scratched gently; having their chests rubbed or scratched (right between the forelegs) is usually a winner, too. You can also target the ears: gently rub the ear flap between your thumb and finger, or scratch gently at the base.

 As far as food is concerned, it’s not hard to figure out what your dog likes: just experiment with different food treats until you find one that she really goes nuts for. When it comes to food, trainers have noted an interesting thing: dogs actually respond most reliably to training commands when they receive treats sporadically, instead of predictably. Intermittent treating seems to keep dogs on their toes, and more interested in what might be on offer – it prevents them from growing tired of the food rewards, and from making a conscious decision to forego a treat.

 How to correct your dog meaningfully The great thing about positive reinforcement training is that it doesn’t require you to do anything that might go against the grain. You won’t be called upon to put any complex, weighty correctional theories into practice, or be required to undertake any harsh punitive measures. When it comes to positive reinforcement training, all you have to do is ignore the behavior that you don’t wish to see repeated. Not getting any attention (because you’re deliberately ignoring her) is enough to make just about any dog pretty miserable, and thus is a powerful correctional tool.

Contemporary belief in dog training states that we should simply ignore incorrect responses to a training command – that, with no reinforcement from us (yes, even negative attention – like verbal corrections – counts as reinforcement: to some dogs, negative attention is better than no attention at all), the dog will stop the behavior of her own accord. The bigger the fuss you make over her when she does get it right, the clearer the connection will be between a particular behavior(s) eliciting no response at all, but other behaviors (the right response) eliciting massive amounts of positive attention from you.

Recommended Reading Hopefully this newsletter’s given you a good basic insight into the more helpful attitudes and techniques to use when training your dog. However, the subject remains pretty complex, and it’s a good idea to learn as much about effective training techniques as possible. One excellent resource for dog training is Secrets to Dog Training: the ultimate training and knowledge database for dog owners. With a focus on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, as well as obedience work and ‘tricks’, Secrets to Dog Training covers a vast variety of topics in minute detail – all round, an invaluable manual for dog owners everywhere. You can check out Secrets to Dog Training by clicking on the link below: Successful Training for Your Dog

Casey Jones has been involved with animals in one way or another since he was a child. He knows a lot about rabbits, dogs, cats, birds, fish, and reptiles. He lives in Sunny Pace, Florida with 3 dogs, a horse, 3 rabbits, and 2 cat.

Group training has been used extensively by leading organizations for decades. However, justifying the use of training by empirically proving that it results in operational improvements is quite arduous, and directly measuring the financial performance resulting from improved “soft” skills is at best an educated guess. The truth is that training can be profoundly effective, and return dramatic return on investment, as long as certain guidelines are followed.

For organizations that are primarily driven by metrics, 360-degree feedback inventories, performance learning satisfaction evaluation systems and Balanced Scorecard techniques will each provide some telling evidence, either for, or against, the effectiveness of training in an organization. The results of these evaluations should be focused on team productivity and reaching financial targets. Complicating the matter, however, is that it may take 12 months or more to accurately measure the results of “soft” skills training; the acquisition of which cultivates team morale, engagement and retention.

With or without a formal ROI measurement system, it is essential for an organization to identify its skill gaps, and the appropriate audience in order to maximize the investment in training. Beginning with key performance indicators, such as customer retention, it is then possible to reduce these indicators to individual activities and competency requirements for each indicator. For example, reducing customer loss and dealing with angry customers would be relevant activities and competency requirements for customer retention.
All training initiatives should start with a needs analysis and specific goals regarding what is going to change in the organization as a result of training. The training can then be aligned with an ongoing skills audit. This audit acts as a measure of the success of the training. It is then possible to translate these skills into tangible metrics, which can be measured financially.

Next, participants need to know what the purpose of the training is and buy into the expectations for their performance. They, further, need to be held accountable for measurable changes and supported in implementing the changes in their teams. According to a 2007 study of the transfer of training skills, actual utilization of skills is positively influenced by the number of managers receiving the training, multiple layers of management receiving the training, and ongoing “coaching” of each other on the training skills, back on the job. On the other hand, utilization of skills learned through training is negatively influenced by fear of breaking cultural norms. In other words, participants will not utilize the training skills you have invested in if those skills challenge the prevailing culture and if the participants are not sufficiently supported.

As experts in talent selection and enhancement, Roselle Leadership Strategies, Inc. (RLSI) understands the subtle factors influencing successful training results. Partnering with our clients, we build-in success through the following strategies:

1. Our training includes sufficient practice of the skills during the training so that participants have confidence applying them back on the job.
2. Substantial discussion of how specific skills fit the organization is included. Follow-up facilitation is offered to learning groups within the organization to continue applying the skills to real-life situations.
3. A train-the-trainer format is available so that you or someone in your organization can facilitate learning groups.
4. Follow-up coaching and facilitated peer coaching are available to assist participants in handling the resistance they are likely to encounter when implementing new skills
5. Shorter, modularized training sessions can be delivered over a period of time to reinforce skills and assist participants in real-time integration.
6. A variety of training approaches can be used, including teleconferencing, simultaneous intranet broadcast, videotape, and billboard learning.

As a case study, one of our favorite clients conducted an employee opinion survey. The same questions were asked of 150 key employees in 2003, when they began using RLSI extensively and exclusively for training and executive coaching, and again in 2007. The survey covered three levels of the organization: the leadership team, managers, and staff members.

The results reflected dramatic improvements in a number of vital areas. For instance, staff members noted significant improvement from 2003 to 2007 in the following areas: my superior cares about me, I am growing professionally and acquiring new skills in my job, I am provided consistent ongoing mentoring and coaching by my manager, my manager responds to our staff concerns, my manager is a good role model, and I believe in our strategic plan. In addition, managers saw dramatic improvement in the area of believing in the strategic plan, and that employees were now helping each other succeed. Further, the leadership team agreed that there was marked improvement from 2003 to 2007 in the fact that they were personally growing professionally and acquiring new skills in their jobs, and that staff members were driving results. In addition, in 2007 all members of the leadership team responded that they support the organizational decisions made by the leadership team, which emphasizes a dramatic improvement in collaboration from 2003. Lastly, all three levels of the organization agreed that there was discernible improvement in staff driving results, goals and budgets being realistic to achieve, and most importantly, that the current training programs are meeting their needs.

According to a 2007 survey by the Journal of Management Development, managers are most concerned with managing employee conflict, addressing employee performance and attitude, and finding employees who don’t present these problems. All of these “soft” management skills are difficult to numerically translate into financial metrics, yet directly influence operational performance of leaders and their teams, which, in turn, radically effects overall organizational financial performance. The importance of people-management skills for leaders cannot be overstated, even while we refine ways to measure improvements in these competencies and tie them directly to the bottom line.

Works Cited
1. Rowden, R.W. (2005). Exploring Methods to Evaluate the Return on Investment from Training. Business Forum.
2. The Measure of All Things Soft (2007, July 17). Training & Coaching Today.
3. Gilpin-Jackson, Yabome & Bushe, Gervase (2007). Leadership Development Training Transfer: A Case Study of Post-Training Determinants. Journal of Management Development. Vol. 26; pp 980-1004

With a Master of Business Administration Degree from the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas, a Masters Degree in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Specialists Degree in Compensation Management, Ben’s areas of expertise include recruitment, assessment for hiring, designing and implementing customized research projects, and new venture management and strategy. Ben has recruited for one of the nation’s largest search firms, has consulted on the design of hiring processes, and has participated in the implementation of assessment projects for small, mid-sized and large organizations.

Particularly energized working with smaller companies in entrepreneurial growth stages, Ben enjoys driving business strategies through the creation of innovative business models, alignment of management and employee incentives, development of responsible financial directives, deployment of targeted and consistent brand messages, and formation of, and commitment to, long-term corporate mission, vision and values.

Ben Roselle is Managing Director of Roselle Leadership Strategies, Inc. in Minneapolis, MN
Website: www.roselleleadership.com
Blog: http://leadershipstrategies.typepad.com/blog/

It’s widely accepted among the vast majority of dog training experts that the most effective  and humane way to train your dog is through a process called positive reinforcement training. This is a fancy phrase for what’s essentially a very simple theory: using positive reinforcement entails rewarding the behavior that you wish to see repeated, and ignoring the behavior that you don’t.

This method is in direct contrast to some of the now-outdated but once-popular techniques for dog training, some of which were frankly abhorrent: physical pain and intimidation (such as hanging an aggressive dog up by her collar), or inhumane methods of aversion therapy (such as shock collars for barking).Positive reinforcement works with your dog. Her natural instinct is to please you  the theory of positive reinforcement recognizes that lessons are more meaningful for dogs, and tend to “stick” more, when a dog is able to figure out what you’re asking under her own steam (as opposed to, say, learning “down” by being forced repeatedly into a prone position, while the word “down” is repeated at intervals).

When you use positive reinforcement training, you’re allowing her the time and the opportunity to use her own brain.

Some ways for you to facilitate the training process:Use meaningful rewards. Dogs get bored pretty quickly with a routine pat on the head and a “good girl” (and, in fact, most dogs don’t even like being patted on the head  watch their expressions and notice how most will balk or shy away when a hand descends towards their head).
To keep the quality of your dog’s learning at a high standard, use tempting incentives for good behavior. Food treats and physical affection are what dog trainers refer to as “primary incentives”, in other words, they’re both significant rewards that most dogs respond powerfully and reliably to use the right timing. When your dog obeys a command, you must mark the behavior that you’re going to reward so that, when she gets that treat in her mouth, she understands exactly what behavior it was that earned her the reward.

Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device, which emits a distinct “click” when pressed. The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a dog to sit, you’d click the clicker just as the dog’s bottom hits the ground).
You can also use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying “Yes!” in a happy, excited tone of voice will work perfectly. Make sure that you give her the treat after the marker and remember to use the marker consistently. If you only say “Yes!” or use the clicker sometimes, it won’t have any significance to your dog when you do do it; she needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that she’s done something right whenever she hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly).

So be consistent with your marker. Be consistent with your training commands, too. When you’re teaching a dog a command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal cue you’re going to be giving her, and then stick to it. So, when training your dog to not jump up on you, you wouldn’t ask her to “get off”, “get down”,and “stop jumping”, because that would just confuse her; you’d pick one phrase, such as “No jump”, and stick with it. Even the smartest dogs don’t understand English they need to learn, through consistent repetition, the actions associated with a particular phrase.
Her rate of obedience will be much better if you choose one particular phrase and use it every time you wish her to enact a certain behavior for you. How to reward your dog meaningfully All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations of physical affection.

Some dogs will do backflips for a dried liver snippet; other dogs just aren’t ‘chow hounds’ (big eaters) and prefer to be rewarded through a game with a cherished toy, or through some physical affection from you. You’ll probably already have a fair idea of how much she enjoys being touched and played with each dog has a distinct level of energy and demonstrativeness, just like humans do. The best ways to stroke your dog , most dogs really like having the base of the tail (the lowest part of their back, just before the tail starts) scratched gently; having their chests rubbed or scratched (right between the forelegs) is usually a winner, too. You can also target the ears, gently rub the ear flap between your thumb and finger, or scratch gently at the base.

As far as food is concerned, it’s not hard to figure out what your dog likes: just experiment with different food treats until you find one that she really goes nuts for. When it comes to food, trainers have noted an interesting thing: dogs actually respond most reliably to training commands when they receive treats sporadically, instead of predictably.
Intermittent treating seems to keep dogs on their toes, and more interested in what might be on offer  it prevents them from rowing tired of the food rewards, and from making a conscious decision to forego a treat. How to correct your dog meaningfully The great thing about positive reinforcement training is that it doesn’t require you to do anything that might go against the grain. You won’t be called upon to put any complex, weighty correctional theories into practice, or be required to undertake any harsh punitive measures.

When it comes to positive reinforcement training, all you have to do is ignore the behavior that you don’t wish to see repeated.Not getting any attention (because you’re deliberately ignoring her) is enough to make just about any dog pretty miserable, and thus is a powerful correctional tool. Contemporary belief in dog training states that we should simply ignore incorrect responses to a training command  that, with no reinforcement from  us (yes, even negative attention  like verbal corrections  counts as reinforcement: to some dogs, negative attention is better than no attention at all), the dog will stop the behavior of her own accord.

The bigger the fuss you make over her when she does get it right, the clearer the connection will be between a particular behavior(s) eliciting no response at all, but other behaviors (the right response) eliciting massive amounts of positive attention from you.
Recommended Reading Hopefully this newsletter’s given you a good basic insight into the more helpful attitudes and techniques to use when training your dog. However, the subject remains pretty complex, and it’s a good idea to learn as much about effective training techniques as possible.

One excellent resource for dog training is best dog training books: the ultimate training and knowledge database for dog owners. With a focus on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, as well as obedience work and ‘tricks’, best dog training bookscovers a vast variety of topics in minute detail – all round, an invaluable manual for dog owners everywhere. You can check out best dog training books by clicking on the link below:

Secrets to Dog Training – Dog Training To Stop Your Dog Behavioral Problems!

Alagappan is an Dog’s traning expert and he has got some great Dog’s Tranings Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE ecourse,”Successful Training For Your Dog Using The Positive Reinforcement Method” from his websitewww.secretstodogtrainingproductreview.blogspot.com
Only limited Free Copies available.