FEATURED ARTICLE:
The 12 HABITS Of Highly Successful & Profitable Photographers

by:  Charles J. Lewis

 

WARNING!  You May Be One Simple "Tweak" Away From Spectacular Financial Success And Not Even Know It."

How do you know?  What is this "tweak?"  What do you do to get this "tweak" put into action?  The answer to all these questions is to FIRST make sure your days are "Planned For Success" by spending time with yourself, alone, to assure that your mind is READY for the "Tweak" once you discover it!

 Remember, "Hard Work, And Long Hours Alone, Will NOT Produce Success - You Must Have An Organized Plan."

 How do you come up with this plan?  By spending DAILY TIME WITH YOURSELF so you can find the "SECRET TWEAK"  and then act upon it.

 I know what you are thinking right now:  "Give me a break, Chuck.  I don't have time now to do all the things I need to do.  How am I going to find time to spend thinking and planning?"

 Here's how:

"First You Form Your Habits, And Then Your Habits Form You!"

 I still remember reading this POWERFUL statement in Zig Ziglar's great book, "See You At The Top" about 20 some years ago!  And it is SO TRUE!

 This morning, as I was doing my daily "reading, thinking and planning time" it dawned on me just what a HUGE effect the "Success Habits" I have formed over the years have had on my success.

 So let's talk about the specific habits you MUST (in my opinion) form, in order to be truly financially successful in the photography industry.

Here's The 12 Most Important And Powerful Habits You Can Use, Starting Today, To Guarantee Your Success And Happiness!

 Speaking of "habits," there is one very important point:  It takes 21 days to form a new habit.  That means that you must FORCE yourself to do these things, every day, for 21 days.  After that, it becomes much easier, as they are now a powerful habit, and you don't have to concentrate on them as much any more.

 Let's go thru the top 12 "success habits."

 Habit #1:  As the first hour of your day goes, so goes your day.

 Like it or not, this is a fact.  If you start your days with stress, being in a hurry, and not spending time with yourself, it will totally decrease the value of that day.  I'm currently reading the book "Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude" by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone - for about the 5th time.  (If you have not read this book at least 2 or 3 times, go get it right now, and begin reading it in your morning "private time" that you will be starting tomorrow.)

 In that book, Mr. Stone mentions several times how important his "planning, studying and thinking time" was to his success. 

 Think about this:  How can you build the studio of your dreams, and the private life and family life of your dreams, if you don't dedicate regular time every day to planning and building it?

 I recommend at least 30 minutes, but once you start this, you will be so impressed with the powerful improvements in all parts of your life, that I'm sure you will increase this time to 60 minutes.

 If I had not started doing this every day of my life, many, many years ago, I KNOW I would not have accomplished success I enjoy.

 You MUST be in absolute control of what goes into your mind!  It must become a HABIT !  You MUST take charge of your life and growth yourself.  No one else is going to do it for you.

 Habit #2:  Have a Journal, and write your thoughts, questions, goals, concerns, etc. in it every day during your planning and thinking time.

 The more I study the lives of successful people, and people I respect and emulate, the more I see a Journal as a common denominator.  They all had one and used it every day.  So do this!  You will be amazed, thrilled, and shocked at how effective a habit this is.

 Habit #3:  Never, ever have TV, Radio, on or read a newspaper before noon!

 Think about this with me for a moment.  If you get up, and turn the radio or TV on, or read the paper, can you see how this will result in a negative attitude over time?  Keep in mind, this is a quiet, subtle thing that sneaks up on you without your realizing it.  All of the information from radio, TV and newspapers is NEGATIVE.  And we know for a fact that if you allow NEGATIVE ideas into your mind first thing in the morning, you day will be negative.

 You won't really see this, but it will be there!  You'll just not be as "up" and positive as usual.  You'll begin thinking that ideas you get won't really work, so why try.

 Please, I urge you to never, ever allow the TV or radio to be on before noon.  And never start your day by reading the paper.   Yes, the newspaper is a good source of news and current events, but it's not the best way to start your day.  I'm sure you would agree that there tends to be a lot of negativity in the news.

 Habit #4:  You are where you are because of what has gone into your mind.  So be in charge of what goes into your mind!

 If you stop for a moment to think about this, it's really quite obvious, isn't it?  Of course we are where we are because of what's gone into our mind!

 But you and I don't tend to think about this.  We just go about our days, trying to do the best we can, and allowing all sorts of negative ideas and thoughts into our minds.  This has a lifelong effect on you.

 That's why it's so important that you start your day with POSITIVE information, not negative.  Because you must put lots of POSITIVE into your mind to help combat all the negative things that are put there during the rest of your day.

 Start with the book I recommended above.  Then read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill next.  That single book has changed the lives of more people than any other book in history, other than the Bible.

 Habit #5:  A burning desire, coupled with definiteness of plans and purpose, will assure your success.  So Set your goals.  Put them in writing.  Have a deadline.  Read them out loud every morning and every night.

 So, what do you do every morning, during your private time?  You read for 10 or 15 minutes first, to get the positive juices flowing.  Then you write your ideas, plans, goals, objectives and dreams into your Journal.

 Then you read your goals, and modify them if needed.  And you work on developing this BURNING DESIRE to achieve the major purpose of your life.  (Don't worry, if you spend time every morning like this, you WILL very shortly determine what your MAJOR PURPOSE IN LIFE is.

 Habit #6:  A positive mental attitude is more important than your knowledge of a particular subject.  Be sure to put positive, inspiring info into your mind EVERY DAY.

 If you've been a student of mine for a while, you've probably heard me say, "It's your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude."

 This has been proven over and over again.  So, let's be sure to use this knowledge, by being assured that our attitude is positive.

 How?  By doing the other 11 habits we are talking about here, your will develop the habit of being positive, and responding positively.

 Habit #7:  Form a "Mastermind Group" and use it habitually. 

 Napoleon Hill talks about how important this 'mastermind' group was to the success of almost all of the successful people he studied. 

 A "mastermind" group is a group of two or more people, brought together, on a regular basis, in a spirit of total harmony, to achieve specific goals and agreed upon objectives.

 Frankly, you need a mastermind group.  We all do.  It's proven fact.  If you want to achieve your greatest level of happiness, success, and personal and family life, a mastermind group is essential.

 So, where to you find the right people for your Mastermind Group?  You look around you, and select very carefully, those people who you feel meet the criteria for your group.

 Then you get together on a regular basis, and discuss your objectives and goals.

 (By the way, Inner Circle is a Mastermind Group of motivated, positive photographers who have a burning desire to be amazingly successful.  If you're not part of this group yet, you'll want to become a member right away.   It's inexpensive, and the information is PRICELESS.   To become a TRIAL member, risk free, and get 3 free issues sent to you right away, simply click here:  FREE GIFTS & TRIAL).

 Habit #8:  To really "learn' something, form the habit of teaching it.

 I learned this from Steven Covey.   The more you share and "teach" the more you will truly internalize and learn yourself!

 (That's another powerful purpose of a Mastermind Group, as you effectively are sharing and "teaching" your new discoveries to the other members, and therefore, learning it better yourself.)

 Habit #9:  It's not what happens, it's how you respond.  And how you respond, is directly determined by your attitude, and your 'self motivators' that you have habitually memorized.

 This is one of the cornerstone principles of my "System" for building a successful studio as well as a wonderful, nurturing private life.

 There are countless stories to prove this.  So I'm not going to waste your time here trying to convince you of this fact.  Just remember it.  Repeat it to yourself each day as a "self motivator" and live it.  Honestly, everyone has problems and troubles.  What separates the winners from the losers is not what happens, but how they respond to what happens!

By the way, here are several of my favorite self motivators:

 *  If it were easy, then everybody would do it!

 *  If you don't ask, the answer is always "no.!"

 *  What's the worst thing that could happen?

 *  There's a good idea in there somewhere!

 Habit #10:  With in every problem, is the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.

 Automatically, as habit, each time you face a "problem," look for that seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.  It's in there, somewhere, you just have to find it.

 Think back to some of your biggest advances or successes.  There was probably a "problem" that caused you to take action, and that action was what resulted in your big advance or success!  Problems are good, not bad!  They are some of the most powerful motivators that force us to take action and grow!

 Habit #11:  Make "ENTHUSIASM" a daily habit.

 Yes, you can develop enthusiasm as a habit.  Something that you don't consciously think about, it just becomes a natural part of your existence.

 In my humble opinion, Enthusiasm is the "Life Of All Sales Success."  It's what makes everything "work!"  It's what begins the entire process!

 If you are enthusiastic about everything you do, it will spread to everyone with whom you come in contact.  It will clearly say to everyone that you BELIEVE in what you are doing, and love it! 

 So you must make enthusiasm a constant, ongoing habit for your living.  People are watching you.  They want to believe in you and trust you.  But if you're not enthusiastic about what you're doing, or offering them, etc., then that clearly says to them that you don't believe in it yourself.

 Remember, the last 4 letters of the word enthusiasm are I A S M which stand for "I Am Sold Myself!"

 Habit #12:  Persistence is the key to riches, success, and happiness.

 I talk with my consulting/coaching students about this all the time.  Yes, we all want things to be easier.  But the fact of life is that things are difficult.  The photographer who becomes a huge success is a photographer who absolutely won't give up.  He or she keeps on keeping on - Habitually working at discovering everything possible to bring success.  Such as being an Inner Circle Member, and listening to each issue every month, and applying the secrets and strategies revealed.

There You Have The 12 Habits Of Highly Successful Photographers!

 Both Todd and I honestly wish we could talk with each and every one of you, in person, each day.  To encourage you.  To inspire you.  To motivate you.  And to help you.  You have so much potential within you.  All you need to do is keep on working at becoming the best business person you can humanly be.  As you improve, your self confidence will improve, as will your attitude and your enthusiasm!

Go For It!

Chuck Lewis

 

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