Well, let us start with a definition. The 2% Mindset is a theory (and a fact) that states that only 2% of people are living life without limits. Individuals who belong to the 2% Mindset are those who say “yes” to opportunities, live outside of their comfort zone, and pursue their dreams with great success. In fact, that mere 2% accounts for 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs!

An Example

To join the ranks of the 2% Mindset, you must learn to live outside of your comfort zone. Instead of working a day job, start a business – even if one on the side. Don’t know how to start a business? Learn! That is what 2% “Mindsetters” do: they look for ways to do something new and exciting, and when they are unable to do it on their own, they are willing to take the time and effort to learn it.

The Best Advice

The best advice is to begin changing your mindset. Taking the above example, starting a business can be the most exhilarating experience of your life; it may also tire you to the point of burn-out. But a 2% Mindsetter would look at this challenge as an adventure rather than a chore. That is because these individuals need to be constantly engaged by life, and through whatever means.

Be Uncomfortable

If you are part of the remaining 98%, you need to learn how to be uncomfortable in your decisions. That is the key to the 2% Mindset: stepping out of your comfort zone, regardless of what the situation may be. Of course, recognize red flags and warning bells, but take a lesson from the movie, “Yes Man”: say yes to everything, as when you say “yes” you open the door for possibilities. That is the ultimate way to live life: doing so much with your day that you open up doorways that lead to even more doorways!

Why Uncomfortable?

Why is being uncomfortable necessary in this transition to a 2% Mindsetter? It is because as human beings we are hardwired to pursue safety, meaning comfort. However, this instinct is based on the primordial portion of the brain that is trying to protect you from harm and to ensure survival. But in our world, this instinct can actually hold a lot of a person’s potential for expansion. If you want a better life with a better outcome (and therefore, a better future), you have to ignore this survival instinct and start looking at life as an endless plethora of opportunity!

Want Help?

Check out www.iLookin.com to access our module: “Learn To Say ‘Yes’ To Opportunities,” and contact us if you wish to receive help in becoming a 2% Mindsetter. We are always available to assist, and we are professionals who all live by the 2% Mindset principle, so you are in good hands. You may also reach us at Info@iLookin.com if you require immediate assistance.

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Studies indicate that you will know if you want to be friends with someone or not within 2 minutes of meeting them. This applies to other various scenarios. Think about this: if you can tell in 2 minutes whether you like someone or not (hence the term, “first impressions”), that seems to imply that though you are not giving them the opportunity to show who they are as a person (and remember, you may still become friends!), you can technically judge a book by its cover. Let’s summarize this.

Appearance Is 80%

     Ever meet someone that you just know is not a good person? Ever watch a talk show and know if the person is lying or not? It is true that your appearance says a lot about who you are. Remember that our personalities often project themselves into our physical appearance. If you are a risk-taker, things like visible tattoos or accessories like chains indicate a person’s dangerous (and probably careless) personality. That is the only example I can think of here, but there is more to the equation than simply outer appearance.

Body Language

You can tell everything about a person by studying their body posture. Confidence is denoted with proud shoulders; shyness is indicative when you walk with your hands touching your sides rather than extending out the standard 2-3 inches; someone whose vocal tone shifts in pitch or frequency can expose a liar. Body language is 80% more important for the way you judge someone, and only 20% is based on the actual contact you have with said individual. An example is someone who talks fast (this indicates confidence and creativity!)

Books Can Be Judged

In summary, you can judge a book by its cover, and that is not a bad thing. Remember that we all possess a primordial brain structure (often referred to as the “reptilian brain” because it is basic to the point of an alligator or a snake) that functions on instinct. Often you will hear that someone (including you) experiences “red flags” or warning bells when in a certain situation or around a certain person, yet there is no direct research on this topic. However, it can be insinuated that this is based on our mind’s ability to tell just everything about a person by mere appearance, vocal patterns, the wording they use, and body posture.

Don’t Write Them Off!

This is not to say that you should live by this principle. Learn to ignore the occasional perception of someone and give them a chance to show who they really are. Remember that a visible tattoo can indicate danger…but it can also indicate success (successful people are perhaps the only individuals who are established enough to get a visible tattoo, as they work for themselves and have no one to impress). High pitch in voice can mean that person is lying…or it can simply be a personality trait that was passed on by family or that person’s peers. Recognize that yes, you can judge a book by its cover, but you do need to read at least a couple of pages before deciding not to buy it!

The post Judging A Book By Its Cover Might Save Your Life appeared first on iLookin.com.

…1) discussions of the oncoming telehealth invasion, and 2) the notion that Life Coaches are taking everybody’s business away from them! There’s reasons for this…First, let us define the two.

Therapy

Traditional therapy is what most Psychologists studied to become. In a comfortable setting, you disclose your troubles, issues, and even sometimes the occasional “good thing” to a trained professional. That trained professional then asks questions and analyzes the reasons for why something is, or how to improve upon it. Therapists, on average, charge between $75 to $200, and insurance can cover much of it.

Coaching

Life Coaching is a new breed of help and relies less on psychological principles and more on motivational upkeep. In other words, Coaching is therapy but without the degree! This is what has caused a lot of debate among the psychology world, as Coaches seem to be less of a stigma (no one ever wants to admit they are in therapy, but seeing a Life Coach is just fine, right?) and cost around the same amount. The difference, however, is that you are paying someone who is usually not trained, and may be certified through an organization that (and let’s face facts) is not really based on anything.

How do you decide?

You have to ask yourself a very simple question: what is your purpose here? Are you trying to deal with a major issue such as getting over a recent death, a job loss, or a break-up? Or are you seeking personal development, or simply wish to better yourself? I guarantee you, a lot of people go to Life Coaches with the same problems they should be going to a therapist for, and they will get conflicting advice. That is because if you see a Therapist, you are speaking with someone who has at least ten years of Graduate school to back them up.

A Life Coach, however, only has that credential issued from the International Coaching Federation or the International Association of Coaches (both of which are the leading organizations behind Coaching certifications, but from my perspective – as a Life Coach – I do not see why you would even bother in getting certified). This means that a Coach (though probably better at helping you improve yourself) is not going to be as inclined to assist your problems from a psychological standpoint.

Trying Both

The best advice is to try both therapy and Coaching. As a Life Coach, I usually end up recommending a lot of people for therapy over my services, even when I can make a profit. This is because I am an ethical individual, but many Coaches are not. If you want my honest advice, therapy first, then try a Coach if the setting does not suit you. Coaching can be useful in the right hands! Just make sure you shake that hand before committing to a 3-month intensive coaching package…

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But what is a 1, 5, or even 10 -year plan? It is a goal you have for yourself in future-tense. If you want to be a doctor, you need to have a 1-year plan (what school to attend), a 5-year plan (graduating with a Bachelor’s, attending Grad school) and a 10-year plan (graduating from Medical School and getting your first job). By setting these kinds of goals, you can plan the “in-between” moments a lot more fluently.

Where do you start?

For sake of argument, let us limit this to a discussion about 5-year plans, which are the most common variation. It is easier than it sounds: pick a goal to work toward (or several), and declare that within 5 years, you will be at that point! It is often best to have multiple goals at once to avoid repetition (i.e. you might want to separate relationship goals and career goals), as otherwise you focus too much on one end of life’s spectrum and forget that, while working toward that 5-year career goal, there is more than the career in question that should occur.

For instance, you give yourself the goal of moving out of your parents’ house in 5 years. How do you get there? And how does your relationship with your boyfriend (or girlfriend) fit into the mix? Will they deter your progress toward living alone, or are they in the picture? This is why it is best to separate the two, to avoid skipping over what may be an essential part of your life. In this case, say that over 5 years you will maintain the relationship and move in with that individual together.

Planning your 5 years

Begin by asking yourself a simple question: “How do I move into my own place when I don’t have any money?” Well, that is the point of a 5-year plan: taking a long-term goal and figuring out how to get there! Every goal has steps, and in this scenario, you have two options that seem the most plausible: 1) go to school, get a degree, and get a job, or b) immediately begin working and save up.

To be honest, either of these options would work, but weigh each option of your 5-year plan for validity. If you got a job now, working minimum wage and long hours, would you be able to save up enough in five years to live on your own? Also, consider factors such as, do you currently have any expenses or future debts that may interfere with saving up? Next, examine the pros and cons of both decisions. If you get a degree (though it may take up 4 of the 5 years of your plan) you stand a much better chance at getting a career going, and would have much more potential for job security and advancement. This is key to a 5-year plan: finding solutions to the primary goal.

The SMART Method

You want to make sure to plan well, but not to overdo it. Use the SMART Method (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Oriented) and realize that overpreparing is just as bad as under-preparing. It is called, “eliminating waste,” and it means limiting your plan to realistic goals.that you know are possible. Some may think playing the lottery every day will give them good odds at winning sometime in that 5-year period, but at the same time, that is not really following the SMART method! Sure, you could win millions, but what gives you a better chance: a degree and a career, or luck?

This does not mean do not play the lottery. If you spend $2 a day on a lotto ticket, I cannot really judge you, and who knows? You may win! But the point of this argument is, do not rely solely on one method to get from Point A to Point B. Sometimes there are multiple ways to achieve a long-term goal, but you must be smart about it. Do not throw all of your money into the lotto, or the next “get rich quick” scheme, but do not avoid the opportunity either (see our blog on opportunities). 

Try It Out!

So, start mapping out your future in increments. Take some paper and start drawing out the next 5 years of your life. Let us know how it goes, and keep us posted on your progress. What is your 5-year goal? How will you achieve it? And what is your 10-year-goal? Let us know!

@iLookin1

The post Setting Yourself Up For Success: 5 Year Plans appeared first on iLookin.com.

    …the prefrontal cortex (responsible for decision-making) is not fully developed yet. Yet they still let you decide a career path before you have time to realize what you truly wish to accomplish in life. If you want to be a doctor, understand that by the time you finish with 10 years of school you may have lost all interest in helping others; if you want to be an engineer, are you capable of performing such a task? By that I mean: just because you want to be an engineer does not mean you are built to be one. We all have different skills and talents, and I am here to tell you that education is not what you may think. You will learn just enough in college to get by.

Are You Capable Of This?

The question is not if you are capable or not. But the fact is, the degree is not going to guarantee you a job, or a career, or even the gaining of new information! Schools prepare you for the basics of whatever it is you are going into. Using the above example, a degree in engineering may get your foot in the door of a potential employer, but also take into consideration that you are competing against others who most likely have real-world experience (and that is the point of this blog). You may not be cut out to be an engineer, but how would you ever know if you are or are not? That is where a concept I coined comes into play: The Extracurricular Method.

The Extracurricular Method

The Extracurricular Method was coined by the author (Ryan W. McClellan) in 2014 on the way back from a guest lecture at a local multimedia development school. The students were being taught how to build video games, yet when asked if they knew how to get a job based on that knowledge, the room grew cold and dry. The idea of the method is more of a belief. I believe all schools should gravitate less toward preparing their students for college and instead direct their attention toward teaching all of the basics required to land an actual job so that the student can grow it into a career. This includes writing a proper resume, learning how to network effectively, interview skills, communication skills, and providing and facilitating an overall sense of confidence about their decision.

Do Your Research!

It also means doing some research, which is something many students do not do when exiting high school and transitioning into college. A rough 90 percent of Psychology graduates stop at the Bachelor’s level, which will provide you a wonderful career at an esteemed car wash or a Smoothie King. There is an actual statistic, and you can Google it if you do not believe me: 90 percent of Psychology graduates (not just those at the Bachelor’s level, but even those who pursue a Doctorate) in the State of California work at car washes, hence the example! The point is if you are looking for a degree in Psychology you should have the right to know stuff like that. But most parents, teachers, and advisors are so caught up in getting you into college that they forget to tell you about all of the intricacies that come with it.

A Wise Man Once Said…

Mark Twain once said, “Don’t let school interfere with your education.” In other words, realize that school is just one process in the cycle of learning and obtaining knowledge. I dropped out of high school when I was seventeen, and within six months I had started my first business, designing websites and promoting MySpace accounts for musicians and artists. Though I spent much longer than one year between what is the equivocacy of graduation and attending college (which I am currently in now), imagine what can be learned in as simple as a year’s time.

About To Start College?

Here are some iLookin.com tips for you upcoming college-goers:

• Write a list of ten keywords of things that interest you
  

  This can be anything from “nature” to “dentistry,” and will give you ten keywords to use when looking up an occupation. If you want to enter college knowing where you are headed (see our article on the importance of 5-year plans by clicking here), you need to do some research on the potential careers you plan on pursuing.

• Look up your keywords online and see what’s out there

  Now that you have a list of ten keywords, start searching databases such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics for information on a given career. Or, Google the keyword and add “job opportunities” or “possible jobs”. This will give you a nice and clear idea of what each interest of yours can lead to as far as a career pathway.

• Narrow your list of ten keywords down to 3 after researching

  What three keywords gave you the most interesting job prospects? Which are in line with your 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year plan? Does one require additional education such as Graduate school, but offers about the same salary and personal benefit as a career where all you need is a Bachelor’s? Consider these factors!

   

  

• Most importantly, do what you are good at – not what you love

  A friend of mine (Corey Taylor – frontman for the bands Slipknot and Stone Sour, as well as an award-winning author and musician) lectured at Oxford University a few years back. He said something that, though mere opinion and not based on life experience, caught my attention and it should catch yours, too. He said, “Do what you are good at, not what you love. If you do things right, you will learn to love what you are good at!” In other words, you may love music but have a keen eye for helping others. Do you choose to study Music, or do you instead focus on Social Work or a career in Psychology or Health Sciences? In the end, the choice is yours.

In Conclusion

Don’t let your desire for a degree put you in a bad position. Give yourself some time before entering college so you can discover who you are and what you are good at. And always remember that even just having a Bachelor’s degree in anything is often enough to get you hired. A 2016 survey discovered that only 25 percent of college graduates are working in a field that is even close to what they majored in. The world is your oyster, and you love seafood! Go get ’em!

The post Before Getting That Degree, Prepare For It! appeared first on iLookin.com.

I will not proceed by explaining everything he told me. However, I will say this: I took his advice and began to say “yes” to every opportunity available to me. If a friend asked me to join a new school club (even one based on a topic of little interest to me), I would agree to it. I would soon find that by the third day of attending club meetings, I had met at least ten new faces (and in turn, gained ten new prospects for my life coaching business). Though the club itself was nothing of interest, nor did I learn anything from it, I said “yes,” and an opportunity presented itself in a very visceral manner (I still see two of those ten students I had met, and they are now paying clients of mine).

When You Say No…

When you say “no” to something, you negate its potential as an opportunity. Here is a good example: you are at a party and you notice across the room, a man who has had way too much to drink. The party continues until midnight, and before you know it you are one of the only people still there. A friend of the man you noticed approaches you and says, “I’m sorry to bother you, but my friend has had way too much to drink. I don’t have enough room in my car to seat him, and he could always take a cab….”

That is where you should cut the man off and offer to take the individual home instead. Do you know why? It is because that man, though belligerently drunk, may have something of value for you. It is called the Rule of Reciprocity (do a favor for someone and on an almost instinctive level, they will pay you back tenfold), and it means that you are doing two people here a favor: the friend, and the drunken stranger. Now, it gets interesting when you say yes to the opportunity because, on the ride to his home, you end up discussing career paths.

The next morning, you receive a call from the man (let’s call him James), offering you a job as an assistant at a very refutable law firm…

Before Saying Yes…

Though saying yes to opportunities is a great way to meet new people, experience life to a fuller extent, and so much more, there is, of course, inherent risk. In the above scenario, you were far from danger; there were others around, and it involved two parties, both of whom were well-mannered and only one of them posed a threat (which would have been maximized to the extent of him vomiting in your back seat). Now, if you decide to offer a complete stranger a ride somewhere, I advise you to assess the amount of danger before agreeing to it.

The point is to recognize red flags when you see them! A stranger at a party is different than a stranger on a random street corner. Assess the situation before you agree to it, and realize that saying “no” to an opportunity is okay, too. Just make sure that the potential pros heavily outweigh the potential cons. Say “yes” to scenarios that are safe enough to act on. When in doubt, say “no” and do not regret it!

In Conclusion

The power of saying “yes” to opportunities is essential to success. There is a concept called the Two Percent Mindset, which you can read about on our blog post found here. To be part of the two percent of people who account for over 80 percent of the world’s profit, you must begin by leaving your comfort zone and saying “yes” (even when you do not wish to, as it may lead to something wonderful…)

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But then it happens: you forget what you were about to say; you glance out upon the crowd (whether five people or five hundred) and suddenly, you are overwhelmed with nerves! And on that note, picturing everybody in their underwear does not work. I have tried this technique and I have seen others try it, as well, and it actually makes things worse! You are already outside of your comfort zone, and now everybody’s naked…yeah, that’s a technique we should all use (sarcastically-speaking).

It Made Sense Once…

Let’s take a look at history. In prehistoric times (primarily the Ice Age, when the human race quite literally began) it was necessary for our survival to maintain cooperation. In other words, at one point in time, we found that being around other cavemen was essential to survival. One cannot hunt a Wooly Mammoth with but a single spear; you need dozens! But with this sense of cooperation comes an odd twist: during the times of the caveman, speaking out against the group was a calling for punishment, abandonment, and even death!

The Hindbrain

How does this relate to public speaking? When you are speaking before a crowd of people, the part of the brain that fuels fear (which is the hindbrain, as stated in the above paragraph) activates. This is because our ancestors were not allowed to do something like that. Speaking without being spoken to first was cause for disavowment from the group, meaning that caveman would be kicked out of the pack and thus, survival would be almost impossible.

So when you are standing before a crowd and speaking publicly, whether it is for a school essay or a new job report, the hindbrain (particularly a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for the fight-or-flight reaction) activates, releasing excessive amounts of noradrenaline. This is because our bodies are suddenly aware that it is going against the mechanisms of the hindbrain. Odd but true: public speaking goes against survival, and this is proof that the human brain still acts on a very basic level, despite thousands of years of evolution.

How To Overcome It!

Roughly speaking, you cannot avoid the fear you feel when you present before a group of people; it is hardwired inside all of us to feel nervous, uncomfortable, or both when we are speaking publicly, though it is not because of who we are as individuals. Some people are more equipped for public speaking, but this is not because their brains work differently. Rather, these are people who have gone through what is called behavioral reinforcement. The more you speak in public, and especially in the presence of an award for doing so (i.e. applause, laughter…maybe even money), the less likely you are to freeze up (flight reaction) or grow uncomfortable (fight reaction).

So how do you overcome it? Accept nervousness! It is a natural response the body undergoes in order to protect us. The best advice is to avoid telling yourself that you will not be nervous this time; that actually will make it ten times worse because you are triggering the hindbrain, which cannot be told to deactivate. However, it can be taught! The more you speak in public without punishment or upheaval from those you are presenting to, the more the hindbrain will recognize that perhaps public speaking is not something to “warn us” about.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, the best thing you can do is practice and accept the fact that no matter how confident you are in what you are presenting or speaking about, nervousness is a given. It is a mechanism of survival, but it can be trained. If you truly wish to get over that nervous feeling, gather a group of family and/or friends (even 2-3 people will be sufficient) and practice your public speech. When you finish presenting, have each member (and tell them prior to speaking) applaud, laugh when appropriate, and rate you on a scale of 1-10 (and make sure they know that they need to always make it a “10”). This conditions the part of the brain that believes public speaking is dangerous, to lower its level of reaction. In other words, trick your instincts into associating public speaking with reward.

If you want to learn more about the hindbrain and how our brains are evolving to prevent things such as fear of public speaking, read my post on evolution, and how the brain is evolving from front to back, perhaps even negating hindbrain activity! Click here to read more.

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I have worked with hundreds of clients who feel life is getting the best of them. My job is to change their mindset, their beliefs, and their way of thinking. I had a client who had lost a job and was struggling to see that it is not a difficult decision to make. When you lose a job, sure, that is not what many would consider easy. But look at the actual process of it. If you lose a job, what is your next step? Obviously, find a new job. Do you see how easy that decision in itself is? If you get turned down from a very important interview, your next move is easy: find a second interview.

The Decision Process

If you can see life in this manner, you will never struggle again. I am not saying that you are guaranteed a new job, but take a look at the decision process you must take in order to progress forward. Lost job —> period of transition —> find a new job. How hard is that? It may take you months or even years to find a new job, and unemployment or lack thereof is going to be hard. Of course, that is part of life. But then take a step back. You need money.

Formula For Success

So, lost job —> look for new job —> find a way to earn income – any form if income, even if it means selling things while you search for a job —> find new job —> do twice as much work this time than you did last time, to guarantee you do not lose it again. Again, easy transition. Once again, this is not the case most of the time, but just remember that your mindset is responsible for how you deal with a situation. If you were smart, you had saved up a nest egg in case of a scenario such as this. If not, now you have learned that even when you feel you are secure, do not spend as much this time. Save some money. And remember that this is coming from me – a Life Coach and Business Consultant who, despite what you may think, does not make much.

Life Is Easy!

Therein lies another situation. What if you cannot find a new job? You have at least one skill that you can use to make money off of, even if just enough to survive while searching for an interview somewhere. I will end with that. Lost job? Find a new job. Easy. Did your marriage fail? Sign the divorce papers, move on, find a new person to love (or avoid love altogether). Easy. Life is hard, and life is cruel and most important of all, it is unpredictable. However, if you can see that the processes of such unpredictable behavior are easy to avoid (ask yourself why you lost your job or why your marriage failed), you will succeed. Always.

P.S. It took me 12 seconds to find the image for this post. Easy…

The post Life Is Easy (However, State Capitals Are Hard) appeared first on iLookin.com.

They say reverse psychology works in mysterious ways, so let’s try something new. Instead of posting 5 steps to success like everybody else, I am instead going to tell you the way not to be a success, and hope it allows the cerebellum to replicate a few brain cells this evening.

Step 1: Avoid entropy at all costs.

    If you want to be unsuccessful, you have to learn to obey the rules and remain obedient to the way others do things. In other words, always follow and never lead. Leaders are often extroverted, arrogant individuals who, more often than not, account for only around 2% of the population (see our post on the 2% Mindset) but accomplish in resolving (and creating) 90% of the world’s problems and solutions combined. At all costs, do not disrupt the establishment; it will only lead to being a part of that 2%, and who wants that? Remain quiet at all costs!

Step 2: Believe that success is hard.

Did you know that success is hard? Of course, ou did. But many people – strong, individualistic and militant-minded people – know the truth, which is that success is easy. If you want something that is hard, try remembering every state’s location on a map. Go nuts. The truth is, success is an easy thing to grasp; all you have to do is trust your gut and do it with great urgency. But of course, no one wants that. To be a part of the few who believe success is attainable even under the worst circumstances is to be a part of the “out” crowd, right?

Step 3: Give up when the going gets tough.

When the stink hits the fan, some people run and some people stay. By all means, grab your s**t and run! This is the best way to be unsuccessful, and probably the easiest one, too. It basically involves giving up when the exertion of life is too much to tolerate. Those who put up with that which is tough, often end up proving even themselves wrong (or right), and who wants the risk of such uncertainty? You better start running, or you may be successful next time you stand up to a problem and face it like a man!

Step 4: Know when it is time to shut your mouth.

    All great leaders have one thing in common: they are persistent. If that means never stopping and never silencing, they will do just that. A quitter (like what we want to accomplish based on this blog, in conjunction with the 2% Mindset theory). To be unsuccessful, do the right thing and keep your mouth shut – even when you know something is wrong! You must not allow yourself to speak your mind; your voice is not meant to be heard. You are meant to be ordered around and not only walked on, but quite literally walked over. Otherwise, you’re part of that two percent of successful people we talked about. You don’t want that greatness, now do you?

Step 5: Accept your limitations.

    Last but not least, accept you are only human and are limited in your abilities Otherwise, you will push yourself to progress to greater heights, and you will also learn that it is not only easy to do but also rather fun to accomplish! Who wants that? If you do, then check out our website and make sure to sign up for a few courses, as they teach how to be a successful person. Otherwise, stay away from that website, because once you start, you won’t be able to stop until you are a successful person!

    Take care.

#ReversePsychology.

The post 5 Steps To Avoid Success (Don’t Take Them) appeared first on iLookin.com.