Here’s how much sugar is crammed into the bestselling…

And the winner of the 2016 Share the Experience photo contest…

And the winner of the 2016 Share the Experience photo contest is… Craig McIntyre for this stunning glimpse into the natural world. This photo of a small green tree frog clinging to a plant at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas will appear on the 2018 Annual Federal Recreation Lands Pass and earn Craig $10,000. It’s a great reminder of the fragility and importance of wildlife on public lands. We’ll post other category winners in the coming days. Photo by Craig McIntyre (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Why Surrendering Is Critical To Overcoming Obstacles In Life

Would you like to unleash the power within yourself that will enable you to achieve impressive results in whatever facet of life you focus on?

The key is to surrender.

When most people make a decision to change a certain aspect of their lives, it’s more like a wish than a steadfast decision. A decision, on the other hand, is an important component in how we approach this concept of surrendering for success and overcoming obstacles.

The word decision comes from the same root word as incision which means ‘to cut’. When you make a decision, it is literally cutting out all other possibilities. So, when we decide to improve relationships, make money or lose weight, we start making specific moves towards that goal.

When we come across oppositions or challenges, we can often become derailed- even by our own willpower. We become less excited and increasingly frustrated which can make us feel a bit hopeless. Because of this, it’s important that you know the best ways in overcoming obstacles in life.

How do you stay on track and keep going?

stay on track

Surrender to the process. Recognize the frustration for what it is and surrender to the fact that obstacles happen for a reason. They don’t just pop out for you to learn a lesson or change your approach, but, ultimately, they help you get closer to your end result.

Don’t let disappointment take over or wear you down as it can only make you eventually give up. Instead, surrender to the idea that deciding to pursue your goals means you are agreeing to cut out obstacles that can impede you.

This may require you to be more open-minded, learn new things and see fresh opportunities. Just do it! Those things will help you evolve into the kind of person required to reach your goals.

What’s the difference between surrendering and giving up?

Surrendering is different from giving up.

Giving up is what most people do. They take a break from their goals and end up reverting to their old ways. Surrendering is what successful people do. They acknowledge the process and steadfastly decide to follow it through, surrendering to the path ahead. With this mindset, you’ll be able to accept and plow through challenging or frustrating scenarios like a bulldozer.

When we truly surrender to the outcome, we surrender to the process. When you get to that point, you won’t care about the roadblocks anymore. You care about the result.

new possibilites

In other words, you have to open your mind to new possibilities. Normal activities bring about normal results. Very few people have their ideal body, a huge bank balance, and amazing relationships. Those who have one, or all of these things, have committed to trying an out-of-the-ordinary approach. These abnormal activities have created abnormal, enviable results.

Once I truly decided that there was no other possibility for me – an overworked, underpaid mechanic – than to become a highly successful entrepreneur, I surrendered to that outcome and to whatever emotional states that could be triggered along the way. If I had to regroup and restart, then so be it.

This decision led me to build a multi-million dollar business. Since then, I’ve progressed to achieving my body and fitness goals and I’ve also cultivated my dream marriage. I’ve created a truly extraordinary life!

See Also: 4 Things Highly Successful People Do Differently

The person who has decided to be successful doesn’t beat themselves up about hiccups along the way; they just get busy creating what they desire. People who are living their purpose don’t have the luxury of feeling sorry for themselves; they forge ahead and take the steps required- in spite of it all.

To start overcoming obstacles in life, you should surrender to the journey that is being revealed to you with each step you take. You’re beyond the point of questioning whether it’s worth it or not or whether it’s as easy as it should be or not. You just need to continue doing it. Enjoy the journey because your success will be a by-product of your new way of life. So, make it a fun and prosperous one!

See Also: 5 Barriers That You Need To Cross To Achieve Success This Year

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A Sumptuous Villa in the French Riviera

This marvelous and luxurious villa is located in the equally ravishing French Riviera. The property is nestled in a beautiful and quiet residential area below Eze Village in southwest France, between Nice and Monte Carlo, one of the most stunning stretches of the French Riviera. It’s located just above the sea with 180-degree views of the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding coastal cliffs. It has a number of spectacular views..

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How To Get Started With Your Own Food Truck Business

Right now, there’s no better way to go into the food service business than with a food truck. Food trucks are portable, flexible and have low overhead. More people are frequenting food trucks than ever before, and even restaurant chains such as Starbuck’s, Chick-Fil-A, and White Castle are jumping on the food truck bandwagon for the same exact reason.

If you’re looking for a low-cost startup with a high chance for success, food trucks may be the way to go. But, how do you get into the food truck business, anyway?

Old trucks can be repurposed into food trucks. If you want a new food truck, it can cost less than $100,000. The business has a low overhead which means you can immediately start gaining profit.

Earnings can be as high as $250,000 to $500,000 a year. The good thing about food trucks is that you can always move to a different spot if the location isn’t great. If your recipes aren’t hitting their marks, you can easily change the menu. Flexibility makes this business model a good bet.

Steps In Getting Started In A Food Truck Business

  1. Start by researching the rules
  • Are food trucks allowed in your area?
  • Are you able to park anywhere or do you need a permit?
  • What are the rules about preparing food on the truck versus just serving from it?
  • Are there regulations about how far you need to be from other trucks or restaurants?
  • Can you join associations that will dispatch you to locations?
  • Are you required to use a commissary?

2. Buy a truck and equipment
3. Develop a menu
4. Know where to buy supplies
5. Have a business plan
6. Develop your online presence – this can help you find customers!
7. Get all your approvals and licenses in order
8. Make sure all your equipment works and you are meeting health and safety standards

See Also: 5 Women Entrepreneurs Who Failed Before Becoming Millionaires 

The Benefits Of Having A Food Truck Business

benefits of food truck business

The food truck revolution is about freedom. It’s about the freedom to work when you want, where you want and to be able to change things up at the drop of a hat. You could even choose to only work on the weekends or at festivals, giving you the ultimate flexibility over your life.

Having a brick and mortar store or restaurant means always having to be there while having a food truck means only showing up when you want to. Despite the flexibility, it is still important to maintain a schedule and show up when you say you will show up.

Food trucks can be a great way to test the waters to see if opening a restaurant is for you. It could be a good lifestyle choice for parents with kids who need flexibility in scheduling and a place for the whole family to work. It can also be a great way to have a change of pace after college as well as some real world experience as a business owner.

See Also: Staying Motivated as an Entrepreneur – Top Tips from Some of the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs

Getting Started

So, when you’re ready to take the plunge, how do you get started?

You can’t exactly go to your local car dealership to buy a food truck. Buying a used food truck is the easier way to go. These trucks are readily available on eBay, Craigslist, and through your local food truck association classified ads.

Buying a used food truck also give you the advantage of buying one that is already fully outfitted instead of having to buy a truck and retrofit it.  Many operators choose to shed their food trucks and they find much of their mobile equipment just don’t translate.

Learn more about what it takes to start your own food truck business from this infographic. You might find this flexible business model as the perfect fit for your professional needs. After all, who doesn’t love a great food truck?

Why Food Truck Businesses Are Revving Up [infographic]
Compliments of Food Truck Operator

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A Unique Mountainside Home in Seoul, South Korea

This peculiar and modern structure is located in a scenic preservation zone at the foot of a trail that leads up to Bukansan, a mountain on the northern periphery of Seoul, South Korea in the Jongno District. It was designed by local Studio Poly.m.ur, keeping in mind that it would be a home that should suit both the architect and his son’s young family. Their owners wanted to have the..

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May 4th

Accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.

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Why Curiosity Is Important and How to Develop It

Are you curious about the world? Do you follow your curiosity?

A while back, there was a talk featuring Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Interestingly, when asked about an important trait they have, they both had the same answer. Their answer was curiosity. They both said that curiosity plays an important role in their success.

Why Curiosity Is Important

Why is that the case? Why is curiosity important?

They said that curiosity pushes them to keep exploring the world and updating their model of the world. The model then helps them make the right decisions that lead them to success.

To a much lesser extent, I can also attest to the power of curiosity. In my case, it usually leads me to new opportunities. I know that has been the case with many other people as well.

For instance, I was curious about computer programming when I was in high school. This led me to develop simple games and eventually have my own app business.

A few years after graduating from college, I was curious about blogging. This led me to start this website which eventually allowed me to leave my day job.

I often don’t know where my curiosity would lead me. I just follow it because it’s fun! But more often than not, it takes my life to the next level.

So there are at least three reasons why curiosity is important:

  1. It helps you make better decisions by updating your model of the world.
  2. It helps you find new opportunities.
  3. It makes your life exciting.

How to Develop Your Curiosity

Now, what should we do? How can we develop curiosity?

Here are some tips.

1. See the World as Full of Hidden Treasures

If you aren’t curious about the world, that’s probably because you think you have already found all the good things. You don’t think there are still interesting things that you haven’t found.

Curious people see the world differently, though. In their view, the world is full of hidden treasures yet to be found. There are exciting things out there that they haven’t discovered. This belief makes them eager to explore the world around them. They want to find the treasures. And they often do.

If your level of curiosity is low, instill this belief in you: “There are a lot of hidden treasures out there. I should go and find them!”

2. Avoid Labeling Something as Boring

People who aren’t curious often label something as boring. But curious people don’t. Instead of labeling something as boring, they wonder what hidden treasures may lie behind it. Even if they don’t dig into it right now (because there are many other interesting things at the moment), they keep the possibility open to come back to it.

Labeling something as boring is just the opposite of what curious people do.

3. Follow the Lead

When you become curious about something, don’t ignore it. Instead, follow your curiosity. Read articles on the topic, watch videos on YouTube, find books about it.

I often do this when I come across something that seems interesting. Without planning it before, I could spend a lot of time digging into it.

For instance, I came across an article about Jeff Bezos a while back. I ended up watching videos and reading articles about him and his business philosophy. It was unplanned, but it was exciting and gave me new insights.

4. Create Side Projects

If you want to really grasp something, it’s not enough just to consume information about it. You need to do something. A good way to apply that is creating side projects.

This website, for instance, started as a side project of mine. I was taking my master’s degree at the time, but I got interested in blogging and personal development, so I created this website. Now, more than ten years later, this website is still alive and well, and has taken my life to the next level!

Not all side projects would become successful, though. I also have side projects that didn’t go anywhere (such as this game). But that’s fine. I did it for the fun of it, so I don’t really lose anything. Plus, failure is an option.

5. Be Prepared to Change Direction

This might not happen often, but if your side project becomes successful, you might consider changing your life’s direction. This happened to me in 2009 when this website gave me enough income. I decided to leave my day job then and that’s a decision I never regret.

***

What about you? How do you develop your curiosity? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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5 Steps to Rethinking Success

You’re reading 5 Steps to Rethinking Success, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Success if defined by the individual that is pursuing it. Unfortunately, too many people settle for less than their full potential and struggle with regrets later in life. I have found that many people do not take the necessary time to identify what success means to them. If you have not defined success for yourself, you will most likely borrow another person’s definition of success and spend your life comparing yourself to them. Here are 5 steps to rethinking success:

1) Spend a lot of time discovering your definition of success. You need to know what makes you feel happy and secure. One person may want to make a certain amount of money while another person’s definition of success is owning a farm and living off the land. If either one of these individuals pursued the other’s definition of success, they would most likely not have a lot of passion and thus never reach that goal. You will fail before you start if you pursue success that you are not passionate about.

2) Accept that you will experience adversity on the path to success. If you think true success is easy and you plan to spend most of your time searching for the path of least resistance, success will continue to elude you. If you expect challenges along the way, you will be less likely to be thrown off track when it occurs. As you get better at this step, you will learn discomfort is necessary to accomplish great things, and you will start pursuing challenges as opposed to just dealing with them as they come.

3) Do not think small. I have met many people that settle for less than their full potential because they don’t believe a higher level of success is possible for them. My family faced a lot of adversity when I was young and as a result I believed that a high level of success was not possible for people like us. Broaden your perspective by reading books, interviewing professionals and becoming a student of the things you enjoy. I enjoyed finance, so I started learning about the most successful people in that field and realized I could take the same steps they took to their success. I could not achieve that success over night, but if I was willing to work hard it was not impossible.

4) Success is much harder on your own. All successful people need others to reach their full potential. Identify your weaknesses and find people that can help you in those areas. For example, one of my weaknesses is processes. I enjoy coming up with the vision and having technical knowledge about subjects, but I don’t want to track paperwork or plan events. I have team members that thrive performing those tasks and as a result I can focus on the larger vision of our company.

5) You do not have to sacrifice everything else in your life to be successful. I have learned that intentional times allow me to accomplish much more in a day than most people. I am laser focused when I am working because I want to be successful in multiple areas of my life. When people find out that I run a successful financial advisory firm, that I have written a book and I get home at 5:30 p.m. on most days to be with my family, they wonder how it is possible. I have the same amount of time in my day as they do, but they can’t seem to figure it out. Make every minute of your day count!


STEN MORGAN graduated from Linfield College in Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics. In college, he interned at Northwestern Mutual selling life insurance and quickly rose to the top 10 percent of the group. After college, Morgan applied for his dream job at an investment firm and was hired on the spot. A prodigious student of the financial industry, Morgan earned his investment licenses in record time. After a few years, he decided it was time to build his own financial practice, Legacy Investment Planning. “The Seven Mindsets of Success” is his first book. Learn more at www.stenmorgan.com

You’ve read 5 Steps to Rethinking Success, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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