All posts tagged: motivation

Why do people give up?

Have you ever thought about why people give up? What makes us stop believing in ourselves? In our ideas and companies? Below are 7 possible reasons/suggestions that cause people to throw in the towel and give up. If you’re an entrepreneur—read on! 1. Unrealistic Expectations Our lives are unfortunately programmed to get fast results with just about everything we do. You post a picture on Instagram—you get likes. You post a status on Facebook—you get comments. Life has become a circus of procrastination and fast results. However, we all know that in the real world results usually come after years of trying. It’s true and nobody wants to hear it. 2. Fear of Failure We all fear the idea of failing. The more success stories we hear, the more we fear success. When I ask people what they would do if they had only two years left to live, the fear of failing is no longer an issue. Do not be afraid of failure. Ebba von Sydow, Swedish journalist and tv host says, “Every time I make a mistake, I understand that I am …

The courageous you: 10 steps to overcome fear

What are you afraid of? You always wanted to make that step, to speak up for yourself in a toxic relationship, to set on the adventure of your dreams, to stop shaking in the dark and finally feel certain of yourself. But what is it exactly that you fear and how to fight and win over it? Let’s walk through the 10 steps to the courageous you together. This is a summary of what I tell my students during the swimming classes when they face their fear of deep water, but you can certainly apply it to fighting other fears as well. 1. Say hello to your fear. Say it out loud. Write it down in your journal. Don’t pity yourself, don’t avoid any more, don’t come up with excuses and reasons. Just admit it to yourself. Say hello to your fear. Say: “I am afraid of deep water”, “I am afraid of the dark”, “I’m afraid for my family alienating me forever”, “I’m afraid of…”.  Write it down. Admitting what you are afraid of to …

Maltese Start-Ups Do Exist

Life as an Investment has asked again our dear friend – Anastasiia Linnas  – a finance and marketing consultant, start-up lover and blogger, to be our guest author and  introduce our dear readers this time to Maltese start -ups.  If you haven’t heard of Maltese start-ups, you soon will because right now they are major players in Europe’s hub of start-ups. In Malta, there is an impressive range of start-ups emerging, and in this article you will learn about the more significant ones which contribute to the islands start-up DNA. Similar to Estonian’s start-up scene with Skype at its centre, the Maltese start-up concept is quickly catching on with the help of GFI Software. GFI Software is now a global IT company valued at approximately $500million (2013), with one of its divisions planted in Malta and responsible for key developments and progressions. GFI is probably best known for its TeamViewer product (acquired by Permira in 2014), as well as security, anti-malware and cloud services. One very successfull start-up in Malta, Altaro, was founded in 2009 by two …

Swim fins

Swim Fins Program

Swim fins are fun! They are amazing training aid for swimmers! There are a lot af advantages for using swim fins: they increase fitness and cardiovascular conditioning, increase ankle flexibility, develop leg strength and improve technique. Here is a simple, mostly crawl, program for 1500 m with swim fins we did today with Swim School Kamishi in 50 m pool in the morning. Warm up/ Strech – dryland 15 min (see the program here) Warm up in water 100 m crawl 200 m medley (50 m Butterfly, 50 m Crawl back, 50 m Breast, 50 m Crawl)   Main Set 2 x 50 m leg kicks with fins crawl, your arms position: out straight in front. 4 x 50 m crawl with fins. First 50 m as fast as you can, second 50 m relax. 4 x 50 m crawl swim without fins. 4 x 50 m leg kicks butterfly with fins, arms breaststroke. Breath every second kick. 4 x 50 m crawl with fins. First 50 m as fast as you can, second 50 m …

Self-Crisis Management – 7 Tips to Help You Hop Out of Bed

Almost everyone has at one time or another “hit the wall.” Meaning, have had a personal or career crises. And every crisis seems to start the minute you wake up: arrogance, procrastination and suffering from as little as noticing the weather outside. There are a lot of reasons why people end up in this situation. But the good news is that there is a way to get back on track. Remember, it all starts the minute you open your eyes in the morning. The secret element of success  Some time ago Life as an Investment published an article which discussed Knowledge and Motivation. But recently, while reading biographies of successful people and analyzing my own personal experiences, I came to conclusion that one important element was missing – D I S C I P L I N E! It may sound boring – be a disciplined person, but it can pull you out of a crises and make your dreams of reaching the pinnacle of success come true.   Your perfect productive morning It sounds …

You’re Not a Turtle, You’re a Dog! – Motivational Story

Sometimes when people work, study, or even live together—they tend to examine each other and make comparisons. Eventually, if not immediately, one can find themselves battling inner conflict brought on by consciously or sub-consciously deciding that “I’m not as smart as the person next to me.” This way of thinking is a distraction and negative, and usually leads to giving-up and quitting. It is a feeling that eats from the inside and leads to nothing good or positive. As I once mentioned before in another post, Merenlin and myself teach adults how to swim (breast stroke) and how to stay calm (especially those who have had a traumatic experience) in water. We enjoy working with them the most because it is difficult for them to change old habits and easily adapt to function normally in water. Somewhere near the midpoint of the course I tell a story about a turtle and a dog. I tell this story because It helps the inner voice say “I can…I am good enough!” The voice that says the opposite …

Wish me luck: Crossing the Bosphorus Today

Today is the race day. Today is a big day. Not every day we have an opportunity to swim from Asia to Europe. So hello, the 26 th Bosphorus Cross-Continental Race, I have been waiting for you for a year! As you already know, I have been in Istanbul for a few days already, preparing for the race. Follow my adventure on Instagram @lifeasaninvestment and @angelwithoutwing and cross your fingers for good luck at 10 a.m. (Istanbul time).           And don’t forget to check up for updates on the blog or our facebook page.  

Money Spending Habits — Take the Leap and Make a Change

How many times have you eaten that LAST burger? Millions of people promise themselves a new start on Monday, but typically nothing happens and the promises continue week after week—sounds familiar? Old habits are hard to kick. Admit it—life is crazy. Having two arms is not enough to carry and operate those devices we so much rely on to get us through the day. No doubt, it depends on what we do to earn a paycheck. Personally, I write at least 20 emails and answer about 15 telephone calls per day. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of social media applications I maintain per day. If you are like me, then we need a solution…and FAST! When we are under such demanding circumstances, we get lost and find it hard to ACT AND STRATEGICALLY MAKE CHANGES WITH POSITIVE END RESULTS. It isn’t difficult remembering to call somebody back or to put together a list of things to do. Challenging is to make overall changes in your lifestyle, behavior, etc. Ok, so you made …

Knowledge vs Motivation. You are what you eat.

Knowledge vs Motivation Which one do you think is stronger? Is it more important to have knowledge about how to do the things in the right way or the motivation to complete a task no matter the circumstances? Knowledge is around 5 times weaker than motivation. The passion and motivation will figure out the way! The problem is that the knowledge about how to do something does not necessarily motivate you to grab the bull by the horns and complete the task. Your attitude is the strongest indicator that there will be a the clear connection between your actions and results they lead to. Let’s take an example. Everybody knows that we are what we eat. We know that the food that we put in us has a tremendous impact on our bodies and our health. Even so,  people are still smoking, still drinking, still eating tons of hamburgers and “energetic garbage” (the things that gives energy but lacks nutrition). Only motivation and clear understanding of the causal link will lead us taking action towards …

3 Rules of The Power of Spoken Word

Sometimes people deeply underestimate the power of words.  Some people realize this when they have children. Understanding cam come when we correct our kids’ behavior in the same way that our parents corrected our words and behaviors.  It is in these moments that some peopel realize why they are the way you are and why you are not the way you would like to be. The power of  spoken word. From early childhood we are told to behave, think or act the certain way. This program is instilled onto us by our parents with constant repetition of certain phrases. If you are lucky, these words bring you positive character traits like confidence, motivation, inspiration and  love. If not, these words could be the seeds that plant secret fears in your mind. However, now you are a grown up person, so try to choose the people around you wisely (Read the 2 part of F.R.I.E.D.S. post) because according to Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker (and I agree with him), “we are the average …