You already have your best asset for success. Your brain is the biggest influencer on whether you’re going to meet your goals or not. And you can use scientists’ understanding of how the brain works, how it reacts to setting and achieving goals.

Neuroscience tells us that serotonin and dopamine are powerful neurotransmitters produced by the brain in response to success, by setting a goal and achieving it. Studies have shown that reward-setting behavior increases the levels of these neurotransmitters in the brain. Set a goal and achieve it, and that flood of pleasure and self-confidence is your brain releasing those feel-good chemicals. And the more you do it, the better you’ll feel.

Setting up a positive mindset feedback loop has a similar effect. Use these five techniques to program your brain with positive statements and thoughts, and your mindset will be positive and focused on success.

1. Be positive!
   Load your brain with positive thoughts, words, and actions to...

Do you tend to postpone things until the last minute? Are you constantly missing deadlines and running late? If so, you're not alone. In fact, one in five people is a chronic procrastinator.

Each year, procrastination costs businesses $10,396 per employee. Workers who fall into this category waste approximately two hours per day on activities that have nothing to do with their job. They get easily distracted, have trouble focusing, or simply don't feel like working.

Luckily, there are ways to beat procrastination and build better habits that will skyrocket your productivity. Let's get into it!

Make Mini To-Do Lists

Many times, we procrastinate because we're feeling stress or overwhelmed. If that's your case, break bigger tasks into smaller, actionable steps that take minutes to complete.

Let's say you want to learn German, but who has the time to study for one or two hours a day? Start with small things, such as scheduling weekly Skype training sessions with a native speaker. Commit...

Making decisions is never easy. You need to assess your options, consider the risks, and predict a potential outcome. The more choices you have, the harder it gets. Additionally, self-doubt can affect your judgment and keep you from taking action.

Even a minor decision, such as skipping a workout, can impact your life. For some reason, you can't make it to the gym today. The next day, something unexpected comes up, so you miss your workout once again. A month goes by, and you barely got any exercise.

So, what's the best way to make a decision you won't regret? One that requires action and can change your life for the better? Here are four strategies you can use: 

Write It Down

Every time you need to make a big decision put it on paper. Write down how you feel about it, assess the pros and cons, and highlight the key facts. Read everything the next day and the day after. If you still feel the same about it, go ahead and take action!

Journaling is a good way to clarify your ideas...

Decluttering your life and becoming organized starts with one important but easily overlooked step. You need to declutter your mind.

If your home and office are cluttered and disorganized, chances are your mind is too. Mental clutter is restless, moving from brooding over the past to worrying about the future. It’s going through your mental to-do list and fretting over having too much to do. Above all, mental clutter is exhausting and fruitless. It stops you from getting things done.

Here are some top tips for getting back in control and decluttering your mind.

1. Declutter your environment
If all you can see is chaos, your mind will be in overdrive all the time as there’s always something that needs doing. When you tidy up your space, things stop being overwhelming and you will be able to see if in fact anything needs doing.

2. Start keeping lists
Free up your mental space and keep anxiety at bay by writing lists. Checklists and to-do lists will keep your tasks ordered...

Journaling can help you achieve your goals because it will force you to think about them, consider the why and how, and delve deeper into the situation so that you can examine all sides of it. Read on to find out how journaling can help.

• It Forces You to Write Down Your Goals ñ When you start a journal, it basically is a way to force yourself to document your goals. Whether you write them down on paper or you use technology to get it all down doesnít matter. Once they're written, they are ready to tackle.
• It Makes You Consider Why and How ñ As you enter data into your journal, youíll be forced to face the why and how of your goal. This is especially true if you write down a goal and focus on it in your journal.
• It Enables You to Examine the Opportunities and Threats ñ When you are focused on goal making with your journal, youíll also explore opportunities and threats coming your way due to your goals. It helps you avoid roadblocks in...

Setting goals simply work... there can be no doubt about that. But I’ll bet that the goals you currently want to achieve are based on a specific outcome, aren’t they? These are called outcome-based goals, and they usually involve a change in a situation in our lives. A better job, more money, a bigger house, weight loss and/or fitness... all of these are outcome-based goals, and these are what comes to mind when most people think about goal setting.

But there is a different type of goal that doesn’t focus on the outcome at all! Rather than focusing on the outcome, this type of goal focuses on changing behaviors that make achieving the outcome-based goals so much easier and faster! These types of goals are called behavior-based goals.

With behavior-based goal setting, the intention is to create positive change in your habits, or behaviors, which will increase your chances of achieving your outcome-based goals. You can think of behavior-based goals as a mid-point,...

Setting goals isn’t much use unless you can measure and quantify them. Without the right metrics, you won’t know whether you’re succeeding or not. That can derail even the best intentions and set you back. If you’re going to improve your life and become a goal-oriented person, it’s important to learn how to quantify behavior-based goals.

Be Specific

It’s hard to quantify your behavior-based goals if they aren’t specific enough to track. Really take your time and think hard about whether or not your goals are clear. It doesn’t matter how high your aspirations are, it matters how clear-cut they are. If you don’t have specific goals, you’ll never be able to track them.

Keep Count

When possible, specify hard numbers in your goals. Make it a priority to answer emails within a certain amount of time, or make so many business calls each day. Numbers are easy to keep track of, they’re easy to compare, and they aren’t...

If the thought of organizing your finances makes your mouth dry and your heart pound, you need to read this article! By following a few basic processes, you can defuse your money anxiety once and for all.

And organizing your finances is not just good for your peace of mind. It can save you money. Here are some tips to help you stay on top of bills and accounts so you can easily control your finances.

Streamline your bills

Get those accounts out of the drawer and in one place. Set up a direct debit payment for regular bills like power, taxes or gym fees and never miss a bill payment again. Pay your bills on time to avoid late fees, penalties or a bad credit rating.

Keep track of your spending

Use a notebook or a spreadsheet to track your spending. Every time you buy something, whether it’s gas, shoes or lunch, make a note of it. Not only will you see where your money is going, but the discipline of writing down purchases is a prompt to think before you buy. Do you really need...

Is your home a mess? Are you always losing things like your keys or your phone? Can you find those important documents at tax time? Are you always doing things at the last minute because you can’t find what you need to complete a task? Take back control of your space and get organized!

Being organized is learning the process of arranging things and keeping them in order. And being organized and tidy is not just a good thing because your Mom told you so! It saves you time and money and lets you get on with doing the things you want to do.

Here are six reasons why being organized is important.

1. You will have more time
   Being messy and disorganized is a major time-suck. How much time have you wasted looking through a cluttered closet looking for that other shoe? Or that important letter that you know you put on the kitchen counter and now can’t find? It’s better to spend some time assigning a proper place for everything and making sure you put things in the right...

Did you know that a whopping 85 percent of people have low-esteem? This issue affects their personal and professional lives, including their careers, their health, and their salaries. In other words, self-doubt and low self-esteem can keep you from reaching your peak potential.

These personality traits appear to be more common among women. They develop in childhood and either exacerbate or diminish with time. If self-doubt plagues you, check out these tips to boost your confidence and trust yourself more:

Accept Yourself

Self-doubt is part of being human. Embrace it and turn it into a strength. When used correctly, this personality trait can help you make better decisions, instead of rushing things. Think of it as a tool that guides your actions and keeps you from making costly mistakes.

Just make sure you don't overuse it though because self-doubt can also make you question your sanity and decision-making abilities.

Know You're Not Alone

Even the most successful people have...