It is with great pleasure that I can now introduce a new part of my personal website. It is called the FREE STUFF section - and it currently contains 28 informative business and success articles which I have written over the last three months. To see for yourself, just click on the above FREE STUFF button.

Over time this section will grow to contain even more ARTICLES, plus a bunch of FREE AUDIO interviews that I have done with high achievers. And early next year it will even have VIDEO clips from live seminars and events. In the meantime, please enjoy the FREE ARTICLES which you will find on the page… and if you see great value in what you read we encourage you to send on the articles to family, friends and colleagues.

Thank you for your continued support and I am looking forward to the opportunity to provide you with more inspiration.

GOAL SHOPPING:
Why shoppers are natural goal setters

Shopping is an art - one which is naturally instilled in the female psyche and still unknown to the male.

Some may consider it a science, and while that might be going too far, you do have to admit that shopping is not for everyone. The introduction of lounges inside and outside stores has definitely made the shopping experience easier.

But it was while I was waiting on one of those lounges, guarding what seemed like a hundred shopping bags for my wife, that I realised that shoppers were using a technique.

Shoppers have a customised approach to buying that allows them to maximise their shopping experience. And for true shoppers, it is all about the experience - the adrenalin and excitement that results from buying something new.

Shopping involves knowing what you want, and knowing the best way to get it. Sitting on that lounge I knew, even if they didn’t, that shoppers understood the value of goal setting.

So now, here are 5 steps to effectively achieve your goals.

1. PULL OUT THE MAGAZINES AND CATALOGUES
Get a picture of what you want and work out why you really want it. Some people become convinced that their goal is to own a fast sports car or earn a million dollars, when all they really want is to have people like them. Decide what you want.

Before young adventurer, Jesse Martin sailed around the world, he didn’t have much experience but he had three years of imagining it. So you need to visualise your goals!

2. TRY IT ON FOR SIZE
Try it out, before you invest time, money and effort into achieving your goals. There will always be hard days, and it will be your drive and passion that gets you through.

Kirsty Dunphey, CEO of M&M Real Estate, has been involved in real estate since she was fifteen and has worked in nearly all areas of an agency. Her early experience confirmed her ambition of achieving her goal of starting her own real estate business.

3. THE TRANSACTION
One of the main reasons people don’t set goals is because of fear of commitment. When people commit, there’s a possibility of failure. But if you are serious about achieving your goals you need to commit. Make a decision and follow through.

This fear of commitment was recognised by Siimon Reynolds, President of Photon Group, who admits that following through on long-term goals was an initial challenge for him. He lacked the faith to commit to major goals. However, he has since overcome that hurdle and today his Group is valued at $180 million.

4. THE CATWALK - SHOWING OFF YOUR NEW CLOTHES
Celebrate your success. While almost all successful people claim that setting goals in essential for success, they also note the importance of enjoying that success.

Brad Sugars, owner of Action International, loves cars and has one for every day of the week. He values the importance of rewarding oneself for the patience, hard work, diligence and knowledge that one pours into achieving success.

5. CLEARING OUT LAST SEASON’S WARDROBE
Just like clothes go out of fashion, goals become out-dated. You need to constantly up-date your goals and ensure they don’t become stale.

These five points serve as a reminder that shopping is not about entering as many shops as you can and trying everything on. It is about decisions, trials, commitment, enjoyment and disposals. Shoppers are essentially setting goals and fulfilling them.

With this understanding, I now refuse to wait on those lounges.

A good friend of mine, Brad Scott, has developed a very unique business development and training company called ‘Red Day Coaching’. If you have the desire to inspire people and to help business owners grow their success to the next level, then becoming a Red Day Coaching partner could be just what you have been looking for… If you’d like to know more visit: http://www.reddaycoaching.com/

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:
Why a mentor won’t burn your dreams

It wasn’t meant to look like that, was it? Staring at the picture in the magazine you ponder why their roast chicken looks succulent and yours looks, well, not succulent. And aren’t baked potatoes meant to be golden brown?

You meticulously check over your steps, not quite sure what you did wrong. As you hold the magazine picture next to your chicken, you realise that you’ve just turned your chicken into road kill and Colonel Sanders into a vegetarian.

Although the oven light is still on, you know that only flames can produce those harsh flickers of light, and you succumb to defeat. As the guests arrive, you reach for the phone exhaustedly and speed-dial Chung Wa’s Chinese Takeaway.

Mistakes will always be a part of success. But a chef can help you from making the same mistakes (and steaks) more than once. Learn the recipe of success from someone who has already achieved what you set out to do.

Here are 6 steps that make mentors a recipe for success.

1. ADD 3 CUPS OF KNOWLEDGE
Mentors have an abundance of knowledge to share with you. They may present themselves in any form, be it a book, CD, or seminar, and can pass on a wealth of information. A mentor offers the opportunity to gain years of knowledge in a very short time period.

Siimon Reynolds, Director of Photon Group, believes that books and magazines have been his teachers when it comes to accelerating his knowledge of business and understanding of life. He has more than 800 books on personal and professional achievement, and will study the best in any field that he wants to become successful in.

2. ADD 5 3/4 CUPS OF EXPERIENCE
Mentors who have achieved success in their chosen field of endeavour, have a thorough understanding of the DOs and DON’Ts and can ensure that people don’t make the same mistakes they did. They will minimise the ‘trial and error’ phase of your business ensuring that you save time, money and effort.

When property investor, Patrick Bright, decided at a young age that he wanted to be wealthy, he began studying the habits of rich people, and learning from their experiences.

3. STIR IN 4 TABLESPOONS OF CONTACTS
Mentors have many contacts as a result of being a successful member of their chosen field. Contacts will offer you further opportunities and will serve as a further source of knowledge and experience.

4. ADD PLENTY OF INSPIRATION
Mentors who have achieved great heights in a particular field possess qualities essential to their success. People who seek out mentors can choose to be influenced by these qualities and will strive to achieve their goals. When we are inspired, we get motivated and then we take positive action that leads to results.

For ballet dancer, Stephanie Williams, she was inspired every time she saw her mentors dance and found herself wanting to emulate them.

5. BAKE OVER TIME
Mentors will save you time, as they have already taken the path that you are now following. They can show you the short cuts, potholes and right and wrong turns at every crossroad.

6. SPRINKLE SOME SUPPORT
Mentors will understand what you are feeling or at least appreciate what you are going through. They can not only offer advice and support in a professional capacity, but also on a personal level. For some people their professional lives are a lifestyle choice, which consequently has implications on their personal lives.

For snowboarding champion, Torah Bright, her career required her parents to relocate across the world with her. Her mentors have been her family - her parents who have instilled correct principles so that she can govern herself; and her siblings who have taught her many things about cause and effect and about decision-making.

WRAPPING UP, achieving success is as simple as finding someone and following their recipe to success. Mistakes are inevitable, but there’s no need to make the same ones. Why waste your time and effort through ‘trial and error’, when there are people out there that can show you how to do it? With a mentor in the kitchen you will never burn your dreams again!

* All of the people mentioned in this Feature Article are contributors in the ‘Secrets Exposed’ Series. http://www.secretsexposed.com.au/