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.

The post The 2% Mindset: Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone appeared first on iLookin.com.

I remember buying my first gun (from this point onward, I will call them “markers” – which is the correct terminology) and my first game. I will never forget that day, for it was not only the beginning of something great; it was also the day I began my progression toward a confident, proud and wonderful life. And it is not just paintball; it is every sport. They promote teamwork, leadership, communication, and so much more!

The Science

(The following is borrowed from MUHealth.org)

Many athletes do better academically.
Playing a sport requires a lot of time and energy. Some may think this would distract student-athletes from schoolwork. However, the opposite is true. Sports require memorization, repetition, and learning — skillsets that are directly relevant to classwork. Also, the determination and goal-setting skills sports require can be transferred to the classroom.

Sports teach teamwork and help achieve goals. 
Fighting for a common goal with a host of other players, coaches, managers and community members teaches you how to build a collective team synergy and effectively communicate the best way to solve problems en route to a victory. This will be very helpful in life when encountering problems at work, at home, or in any arena.

Sports offer many health benefits, some less obvious.
Clearly, sports will improve your fitness and weight goals. However, they also encourage healthy decisions such as not smoking or drinking and offer hidden health benefits such as a lower chance of getting osteoporosis or breast cancer later in life. Also, a team counting on you to show up and work hard is plenty of motivation for you to get to the gym day in and day out.

Sports boost self-esteem. 
Watching your hard work pay off and achieving your dreams brings about tons of self-confidence. If you can achieve something in a sport or with a fitness goal, then you know you can achieve any other goal you set. This is a very rewarding and exciting process.

Playing a sport cuts down on pressure and stress.
Exercising is a natural way to loosen up and let go of stress. Also, you will most likely make many new friends on the team who can be there for you as a support system. When you find you are having a lot of stress, you can call up teammates and head to the gym to talk it out and play it out.

What I Learned

Two years into recreational paintball, I began playing tournament paintball, which retired itself for several years before making a recent comeback. This is not the kind of paintball where you find yourself crawling around in the woods. I am talking about 2,000 paintballs in the air at any given time, markers blasting up to 14 paintballs a second, and a simple objective: eliminate the opposing team, and grab their flag. Though so many people seem to have this negative connotation of paintball as a “war game,” the truth of the matter is it is just as much of a sport as football. Studies even indicate that there are more accidents involving golf than there are in paintball!

Leadership

I was always forming teams to play with weekly, and we competed in numerous tournaments over several years. We became a Semi-Pro team, and that is where the learning began. When you enter tournament paintball, you are signing on the dotted line to commit yourself fully to the sport; that is just how the environment of tournament paintball works. Always being the team captain provided me with a skill I was never very good at: leadership. My job was to strategize the location of each team member, their job, what bunker to cover, what obstacle to jump over, what lane (a spot between bunkers where you are in the open) to lay paintballs onto…it became second nature.

Communication

Paintball relies on constant communication. You must be in tune with your teammates, and I have theorized that of all the sports in existence, paintball is the one where communication begets success. You tell someone to move up one bunker, and suddenly you are now responsible for them. But that is what good comes from it: imagine the feeling you get when you send someone into the gut of the beast, only to see them succeed by taking out the entire opposing team…and though they are credited with the success, it was you who initiated it. This is true of many sports, though when you look at the standard sport such as football or soccer, there is very little chit-chat.

Teamwork

Teamwork is essential in today’s world. A marketing executive relies on his team to come up with the next great idea. If we were all alone in our decisions – whether business or personal – we would never progress. From paintball (and this goes for all other team-oriented sports and activities) I learned the value of working together. Take the above example of telling a teammate when to move up one slot on the field. You are all working toward a common goal: to win the match, but to do that you have to know where the opposition is; you need to know when to move because someone has to lay down cover for you. These are just a few examples of how teamwork can be taught through sports.

Confidence

Before paintball, I was a shy kid. After ten years with the sport, I ended up owning my high school on both an academic and social level. It was almost ethereal, though in retrospect I realize that this sense of pride and confidence (something most individuals in high school lack) did not just appear; it was conditioned. There are moments where I can recall my exact moves during a paintball match, and recalling the successes (and equally, the failures) puts a smile on my face. This is the case with sports and activities: they promote a feeling of high self-worth. You shoot out an enemy player and you get a feeling of accomplishment; you successfully pass the football and make the winning touchdown, and you jump for joy. Sports are the epicenter of confidence!

Conclusion

I believe every adolescent should embark on a voyage of self-discovery in whatever manner they choose. However, I do feel that sports and activities that require the above facets are the reasons why the underdog becomes a leader. 75 percent of Fortune 500 company CEOs believe that physical activity (among them, sports) is one of the most important factors for success, and some even attribute it as the very cause of their success in the first place. In essence, paintball changed my life and now I am CEO of the company behind this very blog. And to think, it all started in Middle School, with nothing but a $125 paintball marker, and a sport that demands action to be taken…

The post Sports Create Leaders, Leaders Create Success! appeared first on iLookin.com.

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.

What About The Other 98 Percent?

How Do I Become A 2 Percent Elite?

How Do I Get Started?

The post The Two Percent Mindset: The Revolution! 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…)

The post The Power Of Saying “Yes” To Opportunities appeared first on iLookin.com.

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.

The post Conquering Your Fear Of Public Speaking appeared first on iLookin.com.

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.