Monday, October 19, 2009

Meeting with Jack Canfield in Toronto

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Jack Canfield of author of Success Principles was at the Metro Convention Center in Toronto doing a seminar on principles from his latest book.

Had the opportunity to speak with Jack briefly in the hallway and later on took picture with him during book signing.

Thanks Jack!

Jim Pagiamtzis

Monday, October 12, 2009

Advice for Youth: Slay or Sleep with your “Giant”

The "Giant" is an event/activity that we know we MUST perform frequently, in order to create our desired future, yet because we feel uncomfortable doing it, we constantly look for reasons to resist it at that moment in time.

We procrastinate mainly because we know there is no immediate reward for doing it now and there is no immediate painful consequence for NOT doing it now. There's no instant gratification and it won't hurt if we leave it until later.

However, every time we procrastinate, our guilt over not doing it grows and we feel even worse. This in turn decreases our motivation and drive to do the other things we also need to do. It's a downward spiral of despair and discouragement.

"Procrastination is an invisible disease which takes a talented individual with great potential and turns him/her, slowly, bit-by-bit, over time, into a complete and utter failure."

So what is the solution?

The solution is the "MCR" Technique:

  1. Develop the right Mindset
  2. Create a Consequence
  3. Create a Reward

1. Always focus on slaying your Giant first, as early as possible in the day, while you are the strongest. The longer you leave it to slay your Giant, the weaker you are and the harder it will get.

Repeatedly affirm to yourself and program your mind with these words; "I always do first, that which creates my future."

2. You must understand, deep inside your core, this absolute fact: You either choose to SLAY your Giant or you choose to SLEEP with your Giant. It's YOUR choice.

At the beginning of each day, your Giant will jump up and climb on to your back with his arms around your neck and his legs tightly wrapped around your waist. If you don't get him off your back as quickly as you can, you will exhaust yourself, dragging him with you every where you go.

If you don't get him off by bed time, he'll be joining you in bed. The Giant in bed represents the guilt you will feel for not doing what you know you should have done. He'll still be on your back as you get into bed. As you toss and turn he's still there, tossing and turning with you. Imagine the kind of sleep you will get with him there all night long.

Hopefully, having to sleep with your Giant is now a consequence big enough to motivate you enough to slay your Giant before you get to bed!

3. If scheduling to slay your Giant after dinner is not working for you, change it. Set the reward of, "I'll only eat after I slay my Giant." Now you have an immediate reward for slaying your Giant. Be creative and come up with your own personal "reward" solutions.


About the Author
Terry Gogna

A powerful and passionate presenter, Terry is also a Personal Success Coach, Sales Trainer and Entrepreneur. He is the author of "How Can I Get Myself to Do What I Need to Do?" and creator of the "Priority Event Management System." Terry’s passion is to share his unique “P.E.M. System” with success-oriented people around the world, showing them how to achieve success in ALL areas of their life through self-empowerment.

Check out his website at http://www.pemsystem.com

There is No Such Thing as "Time Management"

How often have you heard the phrases: "I don't have time" or "I'll have to make time"? I know what you're thinking, "I just said that today." We've all heard these words so often that we never take the time to listen to what we're actually saying.

We hear and use these words so frequently that we never question their accuracy. Instead we convince ourselves, without a doubt, of their truth. I want to make a point here and now:

You cannot "make" or "manage" TIME. You can only create and manage personal events.

Webster's dictionary says, "To manage something is to "handle", "direct" or "alter" something for a purpose." You cannot manage time because you cannot handle, direct or alter time for any purpose. You cannot speed up time and you cannot slow time down.

You can only control and manage the events that you personally carry out in the time that already exists.

So, the next time you hear the words, "Time Management", remember, there is no such thing.

"Event Management" is the only way to successfully pretend that you are actually managing time.

Organizing your daily events in segments of 15 minutes or less throughout the whole day will give you the perception that you are actually capturing and slowing time down.

The "Hidden" Principle Of Success

It is common knowledge that there are success principles that, when followed diligently, yield great success in any area of our lives. So why is it that so many people who have achieved obvious and significant success in ONE area of their life lack significant success in other areas of their life?

If we truly knew how it was that we became successful in one particular area, would we not want to apply those same principles to all the other areas of our life?

We would be right in saying that if we are significantly successful in one area of our life and significantly NOT successful in other areas, then we either:

1. Don't care about being successful in those other areas of our life.

2. Have accepted the false truth that, "In order to achieve significant success in any one area of life, we MUST sacrifice all other areas of our life."

3. Perhaps we don't really know exactly how we became successful in that one area. There may be other principles of success in action behind the scenes, of which we are simply not aware, apart from the obvious ones that have caused our success such as passion, determination, perseverance and focus of consistent effort.

If we assume that the real reason is point number three, what other possible principles of success are in action behind the scenes? Ones of which we are not aware of or that we refuse to pay attention to.

On a daily basis, there are two types of "events/activities", that we all engage in: Present-Based events & Future-Based events.

Present-Based events allow us to maintain a certain level of comfort and happiness in our life. However, no matter how much time and dedication we put into these events, they will not cause any SIGNIFICANT change in our present life or lifestyle. These Present-Based events alone will not create a new and better future significantly different from the one we currently experience.

Future-Based events are the source of change in our life and lifestyle; they create our new and better future.

If we busy ourselves all day long with ONLY Present-Based events, we will be guaranteeing our future lifestyle to look exactly like the one we currently have in the present.

The key to success lies in truly understanding and differentiating between a Present-Based and a Future-Based event.


About the Author

Terry Gogna

A powerful and passionate presenter, Terry is also a Personal Success Coach, Sales Trainer and Entrepreneur. He is the author of "How Can I Get Myself to Do What I Need to Do?" and creator of the "Priority Event Management System". Terry’s passion is to share his unique “P.E.M. System” with success-oriented people around the world, showing them how to achieve success in ALL areas of their life through self-empowerment.

Check out his website at http://www.pemsystem.com

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Self Development Tips

As long as you are still alive, you are capable of changing and growing. You can do anything you want to do, be anything you want to be. Listen to some positive thoughts on how to continue your self development and then apply them in your own life.

· Accept personal responsibility for your own growth; no one can do it for you. What you do today will determine your readiness for tomorrow.

· Take time every day to do something for yourself.

· Take classes to stay current in your field of expertise. The world is changing rapidly and you must learn to manage change to avoid obsolescence. The way Will Rogers put this was that "Even if you are on the right track, if you just sit there you will get run over."

· Never look back to the past-you only can control your actions in this instant, so what should you be doing right now?

· Learn from "other people's experience" rather then having to try everything for yourself. It shortens the time needed to learn.

· Dealing with a problem helps you learn patience and strengthens your management skills; it is good mental exercise.

· Analyze, in a non-judgmental way, mistakes in which you were involved. It will help you to prevent these in the future.

· Reward yourself when you catch yourself working on the most important priorities.

· Never say something can't or won't be done. Keep looking for ways to do it.

· After attending a seminar, report to your boss or other people in your organization, what the most important things are that you learned from the program.

· For all learning experiences, whether it is reading, seeing, thinking or attending, apply the R squared, A squared formula: Recognize, Relate, Assimilate, and Apply. These actions will help you grow in the direction of your goals.

· Eliminate one time waster a week from your life.

· Read a minimum of one chapter of a book a day.

· Read a minimum of one book a month.

· Be hungry for what life has to offer and go for it.

· Decide what you really desire to do-then do it.

· When you have the option of reading a book or listening to the cassette tape version of the program, listen to the tape. It will be more to the point and can be done while you are driving, jogging/walking, or getting other routine things done.

· Develop a "master mind" group of four or five people with whom you can openly discuss ideas in a nonjudgmental way.

· Develop yourself as a resource for others by networking. Find out who does what, when, and for whom. You may find excellent contacts for your future needs and for the needs of others you meet.

· Work for balance in your life goals: family, financial, professional, social, spiritual, recreational.

· Always keep your goals in mind as you start a new activity.

· If you do a lot of work with the calculator, run the machine with the hand you don't use for writing.

· Do not be afraid of failing at something. You can learn and change as a result of it.

· The most difficult projects are opportunities for your biggest successes just as the most difficult people could become your strongest allies.

· Put up pictures of your dreams and goals where you will see them frequently. They will remind you and aid you in focusing and visualizing your goal.

· We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Learn from those people who get more done than you do. Perhaps you can find a way to improve what you are doing.

· Find a nonjudgmental mentor who will help you by providing feedback, suggestions, challenges and support.

· Identify some "models" and observe their style and actions. Do not copy them but learn from their experiences.

· Learn from the errors you see others make as well as from their successes.

· Fill your mind with positive ideas, thoughts and inspirations and you will have no room left for the negative.

· Trade jobs with someone so you gain additional experience.

· Ask for and accept lateral moves in the organization so you learn more about the entire operation.

· Do more than your "self doubts" say you can.

· Have confidence that you can get through and learn from anything and everything you experience.

· Reward yourself with a treat when you have completed a learning objective.

· Keep a daily journal, recording your thoughts, ideas, feelings and personal growth progress.

· Ask questions, listen, then ask more questions. You will learn as well as help others learn.

· Ask yourself, "How can I manipulate my fate?"

· Do things with someone you respect. They will be supportive of you and you will learn from interacting with them.

· Seek new information on projects for which you have responsibility. Look for new "ah ha" ideas all the time.

· Challenge yourself to learn something new every day.

· Remain flexible and constantly adaptable.

· Be open to others and sincerely interested in them. You can learn from everyone you meet.

· Mentally rehearse a new skill. Your subconscious does not know the difference between actual practice and mental rehearsal.

· Keep a record of what you accomplished the previous day(s)/week. If you did not accomplish as much as you wanted, it gives you extra incentive to do better in the next time period.

· Make notes of the questions you want answered. Then as the answers come to you, jot them down next to the question.

· Work on overcoming personal, nonproductive habits; for example: overeating, smoking, gossip.

· Keep an "Idea File" ring binder or notebook in which you record all new ideas. At least once a week in a standing appointment with yourself, review your ideas.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Volunteer to Success

First article that appeared on Empower.ca


Small startups and SOHO business have one big issue, which is common to all businesses, how to promote their business (or their products and services). Obvious solution is marketing and advertisement but you need some budget. So you become a walking advertisement of your business, and networking is the best way to go about it. Again there are many ways but volunteering is a multifaceted method of networking combined with personal development.

“Get ConnectedMake It Happen” that’s what Volunteering is all about if you ask Jim Pagiamtzis, “ you may want to check the dictionary to get another answer” he says.

Extremely proud of his greek heritage Jim decided that he wanted to do more and connect with Greek Community in Toronto. “you mention Greek here in Toronto and everyone mentions the Danforth and the awesome food.” which is great.

He did some research via Internet and talk to few friends who did work in the Greek community and very quickly he found a few organizations which were a great fit. He quickly realized that there was a lot that could be done, during the next few years he participated and promoted many events from greek singles events, wine tasting tour, attended various board meetings dealing with greek issues facing the community and made many personal and business friends along the way.

After that the connection was made and Jim had put together his own website (www.payamgis.com) where he put up links to various Greek organizations and other groups that may been of interest.

“ Looking back I learned so much about many things from business to personal growth, that has help me today to empower others just do a little and experience the difference.

Currently still doing some volunteering in the internet community with the Society of Internet Professionals (www.sipgroup.org) Over the past few years he participated in various events from Symposiums to Trade shows and Conferences.

Below are a couple of benefits that Jim has got from the various shows he has participated in.

1. Networking- being in the environment where you are dealing with different people from show organizers, support staff and fellow volunteers, you have the opportunity to network and build valuable relationships at all levels

2. Skills- developing and practicing effective presentation skills when working in the SIP booth from how to use brochures or explaining various programs and events.

3. Attitude- have a positive and learning attitude to be an effective volunteer in all aspects of participating in various events and activities

Currently Jim still participates in assisting and participating in Trades Shows and Conferences with the confidence and attitude that he shows and tells new volunteers through example that you can volunteer and be successful at it with the key reminder “Get ConnetedMake it Happen”