The human body contains approximately 100 trillion cells. Within each cell is the nucleus. Inside every nucleus of every cell are our genes. Experts estimate that the average human has over 20,000 genes. Some of these genes came from our mothers and some from our fathers.

Our daily behavior, our daily habits, can turn genes on or off. Bad habits can turn on bad genes. Bad habits create long-term stress in the form of financial problems, job loss, health issues, etc. Long-term stress increases the production of cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol switches certain bad genes on that can lead to heart disease, cancer and immunological disorders.

Conversely, good habits can prevent this from happening because the byproduct of good habits is reduced stress: financial independence, freedom, happiness, good health etc.

You’ve been fed a false narrative that nice people finish last; that you cannot be successful if you are a nice person. My research of the wealthy says the exact opposite. In fact, being nice to others, helping others succeed in life and mentoring others for success is a common thread among the wealthy. Successful people forge powerful relationships with others. Relationships are the currency of the wealthy. You cannot build strong, powerful relationships with others by climbing over them as you move forward toward accomplishing your big goal, life dream or main purpose in life. You must enlist others to assist you in your cause by lifting them up and helping them succeed.

Now is the time to become the future, ideal you. Now is the time to develop those qualities in yourself that will make you a winner. Growth starts today:

• Read today
• Exercise today
• Be optimistic today
• Be grateful today
• Pursue one big goal today
• Seek one mentor today
• Become a mentor today
• Spend less than you make today
• Pursue a passion today
• Help improve one person’s life today
• Conquer one fear today
• Eat healthy today
• Meditate today
• Be happy today
• Be nice to everyone today
• Listen more today
• Love unconditionally today
• Believe in yourself today
• Be persistent today
• Be humble today
• Don’t worry today
• Don’t gossip today
• Be enthusiastic today
• Spread only good news today
• Make one person feel important today
• Compliment one person today
• Provide outstanding service today
• Say hello to a stranger today
• Overcome one obstacle today
• Adopt one good habit today
• Eliminate one bad habit today

Take just one step towards becoming the new, ideal you today. Today begins your new life.

Imagine your ideal life ten years from now. Write a 500 word future letter to yourself today. In this letter cover two things:

Part One – Describe your amazing, ideal life as it will be ten years into the future.

Part Two – Describe your ten year journey towards your new, ideal life.

Spare no details. This letter is the blueprint of your new, wonderful life.

According to the Tax Foundation’s analysis of the most recently released IRS data, 99% of American households make less than $388,000 a year and 95% make less than $167,000 per year. To be considered in the middle-class, in terms of income, you would need to make $35,000 a year.

Each day new research into the brain is unearthing revelations about how our brains function. One such area involves learning. The brain is most effective in absorbing new information, or adopting new skills, in those areas we are most passionate about. The more we focus on things that interest us, the easier it is to learn. Pursuing things you are most passionate about accelerates your learning. It’s like putting your brain on steroids, literally. Passion releases a flood of neurotransmitters into the brain that make learning easier and faster. So find something you are passionate about and you will accelerate your learning.

Financial goals are not goals. They are wishes or dreams. Imbedded in your financial wish or dream, however, are your real goals. If your financial wish is to make an additional $50,000 a year ask yourself what actions, knowledge and skills you will need in order to realize your wish. What do you need to do in order for your wish to come true?

Example: I wish to make an additional $50,000 a year in my coaching business. What are the goals? What action do you need to take in order for that wish to come true? Let’s say you need an additional 25 clients. What do you need to do to get those clients? Speaking engagements? Seminars? Direct mail? Networking? Contribute to the media? Write a book? Write articles? Increase referrals?

It may be making 5 calls a day to pursue speaking engagements. It may be joining a network group that meets once a week. It may be sending out 5 mailers a day to businesses. It may be devoting time every day to writing a book. It may be pitching the media 5 times a day for media interviews.

You need to define the action steps first that will allow you to increase your income $50,000 a year. Then break those action steps down into weekly or daily activities. Those activities are your goals, not the $50,000. Activities are goals, not money.

4 Step Approach to Habit Change

1. Track Your Habits For 1 Day: Track your daily behavior for one day during the work week. Don’t pick a weekend day. Work creates stress and stress triggers bad habits. Carry around a notepad and bullet point everything you do from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to bed.
2. Create a Habit List: From your notepad, identify every existing old habit as either Good or Bad.
3. Create a Habit Wish List: On a separate piece of paper, make a list of every new good habit you want to add.
4. Habit Merging: Select one old habit from your Habit List and one new good habit from your Wish List and merge them. It doesn’t matter if you are combining an old bad habit with a new good habit.

Example: I want to read more – Let’s say you have an existing habit of exercising on a stair master. Layer onto this habit a new good habit of reading while you exercise. All you need is some reminder, something that cues you to engage in the new reading activity. You might put a book, your kindle or an ipod on your stair master in order to cue you to read or listen to books while you exercise. Your brain will not fight you on this new habit because you are using an existing habit’s neural pathway. You’re not competing with the brain for brain fuel. Your brain will immediately combine the two good habits into one new merged habit.

The book, The How of Happiness (http://www.amazon.com/The-How-Happiness-Approach-Getting/dp/0143114956), sites various studies on happiness. One such study determined the following:

• 50% of Happiness is Gene-Based
• 40% of Happiness is Activity-Based
• 10% of Happiness is Circumstance-Based

This means that 40% of our happiness is within our control. Happiness is event-driven. What makes one person happier than another person is the quantity of happiness events they experience in life. The frequency of happiness events you experience is really the surest way to realizing overall happiness. Starting tomorrow keep a log of all of the happiness events in your life. Family get togethers, dinners and parties with friends, achievements, successes, realizing goals, anything that goes right in your life is a happiness event. Write it down. Periodically review your list in the morning upon waking up and right before you go to bed. It shifts your thinking from negative to positive. Tomorrow’s the day. Start your Happiness Log and it will keep all of the negativity, doubts, fears and insecurities behind a closed door, where they belong. Make happiness a habit and drip happiness wherever you go.

The book, The How of Happiness (http://www.amazon.com/The-How-Happiness-Approach-Getting/dp/0143114956), sites various studies on happiness. One such study determined the following:

• 50% of Happiness is Gene-Based
• 40% of Happiness is Activity-Based
• 10% of Happiness is Circumstance-Based

This means that 40% of our happiness is within our control. Happiness is event-driven. What makes one person happier than another person is the quantity of happiness events they experience in life. The frequency of happiness events you experience is really the surest way to realizing overall happiness. Starting tomorrow keep a log of all of the happiness events in your life. Family get togethers, dinners and parties with friends, achievements, successes, realizing goals, anything that goes right in your life is a happiness event. Write it down. Periodically review your list in the morning upon waking up and right before you go to bed. It shifts your thinking from negative to positive. Tomorrow’s the day. Start your Happiness Log and it will keep all of the negativity, doubts, fears and insecurities behind a closed door, where they belong. Make happiness a habit and drip happiness wherever you go.