Forget dropping kilos or manically working out to get in tip top shape. All you have to do is change your mind. This week focus on feeling amazing. Treat yourself with kindness, shift your focus and watch how you can feel happier and healthier in just seven days!

You may want to stay in shape, but your mindset is focused on getting in shape. This makes you more susceptible to the fad diets and latest exercise gimmick on the market. You’re so focused on getting in shape that you’ll try almost anything regardless of how silly or difficult to follow it might seem, because you’re entirely focused on the short term goal.

4 questions to ask yourself before launching into your “Stay in Shape & Sizzle this Summer and Beyond 2010!”

Do you ever say “I’m going to eat more healthily … starting from Monday” every week? Do you ever say “Today is the start of the new healthier me!” If yes, then you may want to lose weight and get in shape for all the wrong reasons.

Don’t waste any more time biting off more than you can chew (and no, we don’t mean that piece of double-choc mud cake). Here are the four questions you should ask yourself before trying to losing weight, join the local community bootcamp or heck yeah; compete in the 20th Anniversary of the Rottnest Channel 20km Marathon Swim either as a solo/duo/relay….

1. Why do I want to lose weight? Why do I want to get in shape? Why do I want to swim to Rotto (and no the answer is not to get blotto)?
Ask it so… you’re completely honest with yourself.
People often talk about “wanting to lose a few” or “dropping five by bikini season”, but these reasons for losing weight are too vague. By asking why you want to lose weight, get fit and achieve the goal; you’re forcing yourself to get to the heart of your reason. Do you want to be healthy? Set a good example for your kids? Or something else? Only you know!

2. Are my goals realistic and achievable?
Ask it so… you’re not putting pressure on yourself.
Goals are an important part of getting in shape but make sure they’re reasonable. There’s no point aiming to lose 3kg week after week - it’s not possible or healthy. Just as much there’s no point training 10 workouts in the first week back at the gym or swim squad - it’s not good for you long term …despite your best intentions. If you’re unsure, run your goals past your Coach, partner or friend to see if you’re expecting too much of yourself. Remember, if you set out-of-this-world targets and don’t meet them, you’ll probably lose motivation and give up anyway. Keep them realistic and you’ll be well on your way to tackling your weight-loss/get-in-shape/Rotto Channel plan head-on.

3. What’s stopped me from achieving my goal before?
Ask it so… you learn from your mistakes.
By asking this question, you’ll definitely improve your chances of success the second (or third, fourth or fifth) time around. Your barriers could be anything from being time-poor, to feeling afraid of hitting the kitchen pantry, having one too many beers on a Friday night (knowing you have the 2hr killer session on Saturday morning); to turning to the wrong foods when you’re emotional or lacking a support network. Jot down a list of all your reasons so they never weigh you down (pun intended!) again.

4. How can I overcome the obstacles?
Ask it so… you can start achieving your goals.
Once you’ve identified your barriers, you can work out steps to overcome them. For example, if buying fast food lunches is holding you back, change this by doing a big cook-up on the weekend and eat leftovers for lunch instead. Or if you’re an emotional eater, try to work out what’s triggering your cravings or have a chat with a counsellor. Now if you get all fired up and then your passion fizzles out and you start hitting the snooze button resulting in missed gym/swim squad sessions, then it’s time to seriously consider why you’re failing to stay committed to what you said you would do. Look back and see if there is a behavioural pattern that you can identify. Don’t think of the barriers as setbacks – once you’ve identified them, you can turn your life around by overcoming them.

Wouldn’t you agree that life long health and fitness is what’s most important?

Of course creating an environment in your body and your mind is essential to achieving your goal. A person who is in shape in their 50s and 60s is a lot more impressive to me than someone who is lean and fit in their 20s and 30s. That’s because the dedication to maintaining the proper exercise plan and a sensible nutrition strategy for the rest of your life is rare to find. It’s a rare mindset.

Cheers to a happier and healthier you!
Shelley Taylor-Smith

P. S. If you want to achieve your goals with less overwhelm and greater energy levels, you might want to read what I have to say. It may help you with issues you are now facing. Click here to review past blog posts and read the articles now…

PPS: Want to Pick Shelley’s Brain? Email Shelley directly at champion@championmindset.com.au with subject header: “I want to Pick Shelley’s Brain” and send your enquiry/questions.

Imagine waking up in the morning feeling great, refreshed and motivated to start a new day!

Usually this is a moment many dread, getting up and looking in the mirror at tired eyes, wondering how you are going to get through the day. Email bombardment, back to back meetings, long hours, time intense deadlines are increasing the pace of work and life.

Let’s not forget also our daily commitments to our family, partner and children. To thrive in a relentless and accelerating pace is not about becoming motivated to keep going and ‘cope with stress’, but rather being able to increase your capacity, to sustain and enjoy high pressure, without experiencing the consequences of fatigue and burnout.

But instead of worrying about how you are going to force yourself through a day’s work or chores and how you are going to summon the energy to be social when you are done, how much would you give to have a sense of excitement as you take your steps out of bed?

If you are bothered by a lack of energy, no motivation, drowsiness, and a feeling of not caring about what happens, you may be one of countless Australians plagued by fatigue.

Why are so many of us so fatigued?
There’s no easy answer. Fatigue can stem from illness, poor sleep, and stress, lack of exercise, overwork, medications, and depression. It can make us trudge through the day yet hit our beds wide awake.

Research says fatigue comes partly from ignoring our limits in a society where sleep and relaxation are sometimes bad words and all too often neglected.

There are thousands of Australians who have called me over the years since discovering that I suffered with two bouts of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There’s no magic pill. In fact, some drugs designed to fix causes of fatigue, including sleeping pills, can make matters worse in the long run. But simple lifestyle changes can definitely help.

To many in our society today including the average overworked, overstressed Australian, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) doesn’t sound like a disease. It sounds like reality.

Quick Self Care Remedies for Fatigue:
• Organise your time. Get up a few minutes earlier, so you won’t have to start your day feeling rushed and tired. Learn to delegate and say no when you have enough responsibilities and activities in your life.
• Be physically active. Try to get at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week. Avoid exercising right before you go to bed, which can disrupt your regular sleeping habits and make you tired in the morning.
• Get the right amount of sleep. Most people need six to eight hours of sleep each night.
• Take a nap during the day. This may be especially helpful for teenagers who have hectic schedules studying for their Yr 12 examinations and older adults who tend to sleep less soundly.
• Quit smoking. Smoking steals some of your body’s oxygen supply, replacing oxygen absorbed by the red blood cells with carbon monoxide. Nicotine is a stimulant, and going through the withdrawal symptoms that follow smoking can cause temporary tiredness.
• Drink less caffeine and alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and will make you feel tired, not boost your energy. Caffeine will give you a temporary boost of energy, but when the effect wears off, your energy level will drop drastically.
• Find your lunch style. Some people function best after eating a lighter lunch, whereas others need to eat their largest meal of the day at lunch. In either case, avoid high fat and high GI foods.
• Take breaks. Interrupt your workday with occasional breaks. If you haven’t gone on a vacation in a while, take a trip or unplug the phone and refresh yourself at home.
• Watch less television. If you depend on television to relax, you may find yourself relaxed into a state of sluggishness. Try something more stimulating, such as reading or taking a walk.
• Find ways to keep cool, calm & collected. Listen to music or relaxation tapes. Say a word, phrase, or prayer that gives you a sense of peace. Imagine yourself on a beach, at the mountains, or in your favorite spot.
• Embrace and live in the present. Practice “attention strengthening.” That’s the act of paying attention to what needs to be done now. People think that if they slow down and pay attention they’ll become less efficient. But you become more efficient, because you focus more clearly and revise priorities.
• Take a Breather. Take breathing intervals when you stop at a traffic light, wash the dishes or take a walk. When you’re anxious, sad or angry, focus on a few breaths as you feel the emotion. Take these breathing breaks to increase your focus and your energy in the present. Notice how you feel after you breathe.

Four keys to boost your energy levels:
1. Eat a wholesome, hearty carbohydrate-rich breakfast such as a big bowl of cereal and a whole grain bagel. Research suggests people who fuel well at breakfast tend to eat a better (more wholesome) lunch and have a better diet throughout the day than do people who skip or skimp on breakfast.

2. Eat abundant fruits and vegetables. When you are eating on the run both at home and on the road, you can easily fail to consume the recommended seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day. A simple way to boost your fruit intake is to have a tall glass of orange juice at breakfast, along with a big banana or other fruit on cereal, and then eat a double serving of colourful vegetables at lunch or dinner (such as a big salad or a generous portion of cooked vegetables).
Can’t stomach them or your kiddies won’t touch them…check this out

3. Limit your fat intake. Of all the types of foods, fatty foods contribute to the biggest health and low energy levels throughout the day that have you feeling like your tank is running on empty. Your best bet is to eat only small portions of fatty foods, or choose low fat alternatives.

4. Drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic fluids to prevent dehydration. You should drink enough fluids so you have to urinate every two to four hours. The urine should be clear and copious (versus dark and concentrated). If you do not urinate, let’s say from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., you are dehydrated and need to drink more fluids.

Beat Tiredness & Fatigue Presentation today! Think Like A Champion Club Members click here to download the mp3 recording “Beat Fatigue, Boost Energy: How to Stop Working Yourself to Death” now which teaches you:
** The three mistakes, that almost every one makes, which CREATES stress and burns you out
** The 4 key principles of building mental toughness – your inspiration from within to the stress and pressure in your life
** How to develop a champion attitude
** Is there a right way to achieve a practical work-life balance?
** How to convert unproductive stress into energy & enthusiasm
** How to immune yourself from stressful clients, customers and colleagues
** Why fruits and vegetables are your best ammunition against all of life’s deadly oxidants

Nothing above is rocket science …then why is our society running around like headless chooks in a state of overwhelm crying ‘time poor’.

It really is crunch time at this time of the year! Make a commitment to you to get back your vitality, energy & potential to live life to the full, that Shelley Taylor-Smith says…is your birthright to achieve and enjoy too!

If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. If you are unhappy about your fatigue, chronic fatigue, glandular fever, low energy and vitality and the impact this has in your life, please attend these life changing presentations with 7-time World Marathon Swimming Champion, Shelley Taylor-Smith. Read the 10 tips for recover from CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).

Cheers to your good health!
Shelley Taylor-Smith

P. S. If you want to achieve greater energy levels, you might want to read what I have to say. It may help you with issues you are now facing. Review past blog posts and read the articles at http://www.thinklikeachampionclub.com/articles

PPS: Want to Pick Shelley’s Brain? Email Shelley directly at champion@championmindset.com.au with subject header: “I want to Pick Shelley’s Brain” and send your enquiry/questions.

Who is the most important person in your life?

As you ask yourself that question, consider that it’s not your parents, nor your children or any family members..

and it’s not your best friend either.

The answer is… YOU!

You are the most important person in your life.

And if you’re like most people I hear from, what’s going on out in the world right now is creating anxiety in your life.

In fact, many people report being overwhelmed and downright scared about being able to provide a safe, secure and happy life for themselves and their families.

That’s why now, more than ever, it’s critical to take care of yourself and that starts with KNOWING how to take care of yourself.

So what can you do… where do you start?

Consider today that your performance is what matters most in each of your roles. Make sure you are giving each of your roles the time and the performance level it deserves.

Make sure you have a mission, a goal, a plan, a priority and a time to act for all of your roles.

Today’s Quest… Answer Honestly:

What can you plan, right now, that will enrich one other area of your life? ______________________________________________________________

What’s keeping you from achieving the balance you want for your life? ___________________________________________________________

Does tomorrow’s schedule include a balance of work, family and self? ___________________________________________________________

Live the Life You Love Today.

Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith
Australia’s No.1 Mental Toughness Coach

PS: need help toughening up…call Shelley on 0414 594 245 or email champion@championmindset.com.au and it would be my pleasure to teach you how to achieve your goals…and know you’re the most important person in your life!

Every year, millions of Australians make New Year’s resolutions…and then just as predictably break them.

The development and subsequent failure of the New Years resolution transcends any normal thought patterns, however people persist with a weary tradition that is generally serves only to undermine the individuals mindset.

New Years resolutions never achieve anything except for fostering a nation of failures. Instead of making meaningless goals, take responsibility for your life and create change. Change doesn’t come through New Years resolutions but through embracing change and addressing the root cause of your problems!

Failing to follow through with New Year resolutions only succeeds in making you feel miserable and will subconsciously set the pattern for 2009.

Will you choose in 2009 to toughen you up, smarten you up and develop a fight-back attitude?

“When the pain you’re in is greater than the pain it takes to change …then you are ready for change!”

It is that time…time to thrive and survive in what is shaping up to be the most challenging year. The next 12 months are going to create more successes and failures than the last 25 years combined.

There will be people who will be barely able to put food on the table …and others who develop the winning skills to actually THRIVE in this terrible economic meltdown. This is your moment of truth…your moment of choice…your moment of action. Its crunch time in 2009!

Asses your willingness to make a real change in 2009 by answering the following questions:

1. Is it the process of changing that you don’t want to go through?
2. Do you have emotional and physical support around you – friends, partner, family, colleagues, and mentor?
3. Are you afraid of the unknown? It can stifle our motivation and keep us stuck in an unhappy situation for years. So why do we fear change – when the rewards can be more than we have ever anticipated. It is normal to fear change, but it is how you think and feel about the change which is really the point. How can you overcome your fear?
4. Does your ego get in the way? Your own behaviour could be the cause of your problems,
5. Are you wearing blinkers, or blaming others for their mistakes?
6. How high do the stakes need to be for you before you change?

To achieve extraordinary results, you must change your approach to life and change it now. Success and happiness can only come from within you. You must pinpoint what is causing your lack of motivation, inconsistent results and unhappiness and you will define the core of who you are, what your values are and where your motivation comes from?

To thrive, you must develop a “fight-back attitude”; to proactively position yourself for the long, tough battle ahead.

Anyone who wants to not quit yet again…it is time to get up, get over it and get on with it!

Go for your gold in 2009!

About Shelley Taylor-Smith
Shelley Taylor-Smith, is Australia’s No.1 Mental Toughness Coach: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Shelley helps people transform their Champion potential into performance. An energetic and inspirational speaker, international best-selling author and corporate educator, Shelley demonstrates how harnessing the power of your mind and boosting your self belief can help you achieve your goals. With her passionate commitment to being relatable, Shelley delivers a powerful lesson in mental toughness.

Find out more and subscribe to Shelley’s fortnightly Champion Motivations newsletter go to: http://www.championmindset.com.au/inspire.htm

With the Victorian Bushfire tragedy in Australia this past week, like many Australians I have been focused on how I can assist in any way to support my fellow Aussie mates who have suffered in a way that I cannot even begin to imagine or comprehend.

So if you are feeling a bit drained, emotionally or physically, from this week’s events and have lost your laser focus on achieving your goals… you are OK….this is normal behaviour.

Let’s help support you to get you back on track and ‘in the zone’ right now….back into action focused on the scheduled plans you have set in place to achieve your goals.

Focus - Some of the most difficult kind of setbacks to achieving your goals is accepting the ones where you miss your goal by the tiniest of measures… losing on the final shot, losing the promotion because of a single botched assignment, failing a test by one point. There are a million other examples. And they are all painful.

The one common thread in all “close but no cigar” failures is that with just a little more focus, just one hour more of practice, the tiniest bit of attention to just one detail and a crushing defeat would have been a glorious, possibly life changing victory.

For that reason the Think Like A Champion Club blog is now available to everyone who visits the Think Like A Champion Club. ….

And another reason why I created the Thinking Like A Champion Club that is filled with attitude altering new beliefs, from the world’s most successful people that will help you gain laser-like focus on the details related to your most important objectives in life. When the pressure is on, you want to instinctively perform at your best no matter what distractions may be present.

So sit back and listen to the day I turned a potential negative experience into a positive, saw a risk as an opportunity, overcame the major obstacles, and embraced one of my greatest fears whilst I created new friends “the jellyfish”!

……creating history along the way too; winning gold and achieving the inaugural FINA Women’s World Champion 25km long distance event in my hometown of Perth, Western Australia.

Get focused right now….click here

and remember:…. if you don’t quit, you will make it!

If you are a Think Like A Champion Club member and need a power call - your get out of jail - pick Shelley’s brains…call me on 1300 78 41 70 or email your 3 time slots this coming week and we’ll confirm your 10min power call complimentary coaching as a member of the club …and I will coach you to get focused and in the zone.

Go For Gold in 2009!
Shelley Taylor-Smith

PS: Not a Think Like A Champion Club member? Take a 21-day $1 trial and get access to all the benefits plus access CDs, book summaries and presentations on focus, procrastination…. click here to register now and start enjoying the benefits

Imagine being able to manipulate the future:

“Everyone knows HINDSight is 20/20, but imagine having 20/20 FOREsight in 2009!”

That is what this first blog for 2009 is all about – wanting to see if you’re getting the same ‘ol same ‘ol or have you got the Champion edge?

Let me set you up, so you can benefit as you use your 20/20 foresight like a telescope that make distant stars feel so close that you could reach out and touch them.

20/20 foresight is one of many concepts that we will explore in 2009, as we turn the page after the the most important 21 days of the year….

…remembering it takes 21 days for a new habit to become 2nd nature…. unconscious and part of who you are without having to think about it once and for all.

So is the New You bursting forth….achieving what you set out to achieve with your New Year Resolutions?

If you’re like most people, you itemised the things you want or wish to improve:

• Make more money.
• Lose weight.
• Get into a passionate relationship.
• Spend more quality time with family.
• Become fit and healthy.
• Learn a new language.
• Travel to exotic destinations.
• Cook new recipes.
• Get Better Grades.
• Quit my job and start a company.
• Follow my Passion.

But most people don’t stick to their resolutions. Why? (I will explain all the reasons why on the upcoming special live teleseminar on Wednesday 4th February at 8pm Sydney EST Australia time….reserve your seat now as it is over half full!)

It is a real shame because usually they are the list of what they want most, dream about and wish for with all their heart and soul.

If they achieved even a fraction of their New Year’s Resolutions, their lives would change and create a radically new, different destiny for them and for their family/kids.

I see it all the time.

Wishing for something to change, but not taking any action.

I want you to take action – go back through your New Year’s Resolutions. And if you have not as yet…for whatever reason…. go ahead now if you have not even started a list.

Do them in a place that inspires, motivates and empowers you to think expansively.

As you start the process, just make a list of everything you would like to have or ‘be’ … Don’t sensor yourself – that will come later.

Just take 5 to 10 minutes. Aren’t you worth 5 to 10 minutes?

Once you have your complete dream list, you now need to chunk it down to your ‘Top 10″ list – the top 10 things that you are committed to working on ALL YEAR LONG.

I select a list of 10 because that works for me. More is too much and less is not enough.

Once you have this list, try to determine “What has to happen for this to be achieved?” for each item on your ‘Top 10 list’.

For example, if one of your resolutions is “I want to be fit and healthy”, what has to happen might be: “I need to get to 80 Kilograms with 8% body fat, fit into my ’skinny jeans’. I need to do some form of exercise or sport 3 times per week as a MINIMUM. I can’t eat junk food and coke more than once a week. I no longer eat after 7 or 8 PM at night.”

The more detailed and specific you are the better.

I know this is simplistic – I get a lot of that.

People WANT success to be complex, complicated and hard. It’s because that way they can feel self-justified when they are not as successful as they would like and lie to themselves that’s it’s all too hard…

Success is actually not hard – it’s easier than failure, but few see it that way.

I mean think about it.

When you ARE successful, rich and healthy – you have options. You can buy what you need, want desire. You can travel when you want to avoid the panic rush of the masses who are all forced into a funnel during ’school holidays’…

People WANT success to be complex, complicated and hard. It’s because that way they can feel self-justified when they are not as successful as they would like and lie to themselves that’s it’s all too hard…

Success is actually not hard – it’s easier than failure, but few see it that way.

I mean think about it.

When you ARE successful, rich and healthy – you have options. You can buy what you need, want desire. You can travel when you want to avoid the panic rush of the masses who are all forced into a funnel during ’school holidays’…

When you’re successful, you can hire resources to get stuff done for you so you WORK LESS and EARN MORE. Isn’t that easier than doing the actual work?

When you’re successful, you know how to get the RESULTS that evade most people. You get paid A LOT MORE for those results, but they don’t take more effort to produce, but BECAUSE the RESULTS are better, you get PAID multiple times more than someone else who breaks his/her back producing LESSER outcomes.

When you’re successful, you are healthier, fitter and therefore have more stamina and perseverance to go the distance, the extra mile so-to-speak where all the rewards are. The rewards that pay you for your efforts instead of coming up short and although having expended ‘almost’ as much time, cost and effort pay no nothing, nada, zilch.

Trust me, success is a LOT easier. It’s the best-kept secret out there – one that I have been ‘preaching’ for years.

This is my gift to you today- since you are a Think Like A Champion Club Member, I want you extend to you a 15min coaching call to help set you up for a meaningful 2009. On the call you ask me any question related to why you are not succeeding and achieving your goals.
Email me at info@thinklikeachampionclub.com with your name and contact number to arrange your coaching time. (NB: this gift expires at midnight 31st January 2009).

And if you are serious about Making 2009 Your Year to Achieve Your Goals…. then order the Create Your Champion Mindset 7CD set at $197 (RRP $595) and be coached step-by-step through the Goal Planning System guaranteed to see you achieve your desires and what you deserve.

The 7 Cd set will also include the 90 page Ultimate step-by-step manual and bonus resource Cd is only available until 1st February at this ridiculous offer, but since you are a Think Like A Champion Club Member I wanted to make sure I did give you the impetus, the catalyst to do this NOW, to get you started on your success pathway. Order now as only 27 sets in this offer!

Yes, timing is important.

Do it NOW in the first 21 days of the YEAR, because this is what sets you up for the rest of this NEW YEAR.

You want to set the goals in the distance - the Power of the Creating Your Very Own Champion Mindset to leverage the immense potentiality of your brain’s magnificence to your benefit.

Using tips and tricks like this to catapult you forward effortlessly, like a magic carpet ride into the future.

I know, I know how simple this sounds.

I know.

I also know it works.

When I first did this at Tony Robbins’ Unleash The Power Within Firewalk Seminar in 1997, I wrote down a list of 10 TEN-YEAR GOALS.

These were goals that I would be astonished, excited, amazed and ‘beside myself’ IF and WHEN I achieved them in the NEXT 10 YEARS …

Most of those goals were too personal to share with you, but what’s important is that within 1 year, I had achieved 8 out of 10.

I had to pinch myself – literally when I re-visited my list. There it was, my 10-YEAR GOALS LIST with 8 out of 10 items ticked off.

I know how incredulous this all sounds.

I know.

I have never looked back and have been leveraging this incredible epiphany ever since.

I hope you do too.

There is NO BETTER TIME than right now to do this – other than in exactly 12 months from now…

By then YOU could have 8 out of 10 items ticked off your list!

Get Up, Get Tough and Get Going in 2009!

Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith

P.S. One of my 10 year goals was to return to my hometown of Perth, Western Australia and set up Oceania’s 1st ever FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup event … and just this week I met with the WA Sports Minister proposing the event for March 2010 and next week I have meetings with the Perth City Council, WA Department of Sport & Recreation and WA Tourism. That’s right – and it is only day 22 of 2009!

Another goal was Marathon Swimming inclusion into the Olympic Programme which the IOC announced on October 26, 2005 (less than 10yrs that I wrote it on my 10 year goal list). The 10km marathon swim debuted in the Beijing Olympic Games on 21 August 2008. It was the most highly sought first-ever after event at the Beijing Olympic Games by the media and last week in Kuwait we met and started planning for London 2012. For many people that is a ‘lifetime goal’, one that is never realised.

The rest as they say is…

The future.

History is left behind as we set out into the future to realise our dreams, wishes, and awakenings to whatever it is we aspire to do and become.

Dream big and see what happens.

Little did I know that one of the two items in my 10 YEAR LIST that wasn’t ticked off in the first year would happen within less than 10 years…

The Think Like A Champion Club.

Yeah I know.

It’s always obvious after-the-fact.

Hindsight is 20/20, but in your case you can have…

20/20 foresight!

Write Complete Action Plans for Major Goals…

A Goal Without A Plan Is Merely A Wish Without A Hope. Without a plan, dreams and goals are but the illusive wishes of hopeful dreamers. Once you have set a clearly defined goal, immediately develop a detailed plan for its accomplishment.

Making detailed plans is where dreams are snared and fantasies caught.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”~ Stephen A. Brennan

A New Year Quest…

1. Which of your goals have you left dying on the vine without a plan? __________________________________________________________

2. What project, goal or dream can you make real with a plan in 2009?
____________________________________________________________

3. Do your plans show how much you care about your New Year’s Resolutions and goals? __________________________________________________________________________

Achieve Greater Success Today. Dead stop the FEAR of success… the FEAR of failure… the FEAR of the future. Take SMARTER actions more consistently. Incorporate the Champion Mindset and Think Like A Champion philosophy into your performance and you will achieve the SUCCESS you desire… a great deal sooner. Learn more…

“When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.” ~ Greg Anderson

It’s time to focus on Making 2009 Your Best Year Ever…

Let’s get straight to the heart of the matter. Most people set a few resolutions for change this time of year.

They resolve to lose weight… to find a more rewarding career… quit something (smoking, booze, drugs, a bad relationship)… start their own business… make more money… retire early… you name it.

Unfortunately, studies show that over 95% fail to even make it through January before losing their resolution for their New Year’s Resolutions! (Yikes….this statistic is really true too!)

They just GIVE UP, and get on with life—never realising that with a better approach, they could succeed beyond their wildest expectations. This, of course, is what leads to a life of REGRETS… not RESULTS.

Go back now to the quote at the top — and really study it.

It offers the best advice I, or anyone else can give you.
My advice: Find passion in your Goals or create new goals. Period.

Your Top Five 2009 Goals…
1. Personal__________________________________
2. Family__________________________________
3. Financial__________________________________
4. Career__________________________________
5. Community__________________________________

Your Champion Power to Achieve Them…

No question, these goals will remain on this page all year long… next year… and years thereafter—unless you commit the power to achieving them. If you are not BOTH successful AND happy with the results you produced in 2008, what are you going to DO differently in 2009?

This is a profound question. Think about it.

Go for gold! It’s your time to stand up, stand out and shine in 2009! Read more how now

Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith

I’m not the most athletic person in the world.

I hear you….What you 7-time World Marathon Swimming World Champ…you’re kidding yourself aren’t you Shelley!

Now before you fall on the floor in shock and horror….hang in here with me…because there is a valuable lesson to achieving your goals and creating 100% self belief along the way so your self esteem soars too on your journey.

You see as a child, I grew up being told that I had no natural ability, was disabled and had nothing above average…yes me!

Growing up, you’d find me anywhere and everywhere participating on the sports field at lunch-times and after school and on Saturday mornings in the inter-school sports carnivals.

When it came to doing the mandatory athletics day, I’d somehow work my way into participating in the long distance events as I was simply hopeless at sprints events….I mean someone took them out of my Weeties box.

Now retired from competitive marathon swimming 10 years…(and people keep asking me, as early as only yesterday at the pool, “are you still competing Shelley?”)

and… I know I no longer have youth on my side – I am 47yrs young….so if I want to be able to keep living the Champion life that I love with all the passion and purpose like a 20yr old, then I need to do something new.

So if you come into the Manly Surf Club gym on most mornings, you’ll see me there. And you may even hear me complaining to my buddys during my twice-weekly workouts “I can’t lift another thing” or “It’s buuuuuuurning!!!!” This is all getting way too hard”.

If I had my way, I’d continue to swim every day ….and that would be really easy for me to do. I would even continue my lovely beach walks every other day. I’d do the things I was most comfortable with and leave the rest til another day – when I felt like it.

Yet every time I walk into the Manly Surf Club gym, I hear those men’s words ringing in my ears as I struggle and those days when it is all too much and I feel like giving up. ‘C’mon Shell …what are you always telling us….You saved the best one for last…..You’re the Best…Forget the Rest! When the going gets tough…the tough get going!”

Buggar they were listening to me all these years!

But it’s that – that makes all the difference.

And you know what? I would not have it any other way.

So often in life we want the reward but we don’t want to do the extra that will get us there. We want to stay in our comfort zone but we want more as well. When we decide to step out and do ‘just one more’, we begin our journey to the next level.

We each have our own cheering squad - listen to those who want what’s best for you and encourage you to move towards your goals. You may find you can do ‘just one more’ and it’s that which will make all the difference.

Decide today what ‘just one more’ you will commit to and what difference it will make.

“We often don’t know what we’re capable of - until we go beyond what we think we can do”.

Go for Gold!
Cheers Shelley