Brain Research: Positive Attitude Improves Performance

Recent neuroimaging research has confirmed negative social-emotional responses interfere with developing positive thoughts, feelings and high cognitive performance. [link below to video] I realize many of you who are regular visitors are saying, "Like duh dude, everyone knows what you think is what you get."

Yet, why do so many people struggle with being more positive about life and why are so many people taking drugs for anxiety, depression and a variety of emotional/behavioral disorders? Academics, psychologists and scientists have continued to believe, profess and attack the positive attitude community as nothing but some pseudo-science with only anecdotal evidence and no definitive research. 

Neuroimaging Research Provides Proof

Up until just a few years ago, even the neuro-scientists believed the brain to be a static organ and could not generate new brain cells. It is now a fact the brain does continue to regenerate new brain cells throughout life. This is proven with neuroplasticity, which explores how, and in which ways the brain changes throughout life. This ongoing growth of new neural pathways and synapses, confirms, no matter the age, if we change the way we think, the brain can change it's structure, become more flexible and improve brain functions for better memory, attention, speed, and problem solving. If this were not so, then how is it possible for a twenty-something to grow and develop into a mature fifty-something?

What's Your Lifetime Value Potential?

You can easily estimate how much money you will make over your lifetime. Have you ever pondered on your potential to create value for others over your lifetime?

Through my work with ZFactor Group, I get to see people make this simple shift in their mindset. Imagine the possibilities when you focus on creating value for others. My experience is when people do this, their lifetime earnings potential increases substantially.

This is why ZFactor publications focus on Revealing And Releasing Your Untapped Potential. When people choose to think, act and communicate differently, it's like they have finally found that essential key to success.

ZFactor books helps others find their key for success by providing a:

1. Simple map to plot where you are; 
2. Compass to determine the direction you want to go; and, 
3. Guide of defining characteristics to help you know what to do to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

Through our various engagements with others - comments from readers, presentations, coaching sessions or workshops - we are continually amazed at how quickly people shift the way they think about their current situation as they recognize where they are and have a simple map. As people embrace thinking differently, they immediately find themselves in the midst of a personal transformation that propels them from me-focus to others-focus. 

There is no complicated formula or long drawn out training or session-after-session with a guru to figure out the meaning of life. It begins with stop focusing on yourself and focus on others. Sometimes, it can even be as simple as a good friend, Peter Strople, describes how one question can create Instant Change. 

It is in this transformation when people immediately become what we refer to as Value Creators. Instantly, their expertise, knowledge, talents and skills can be focused on moving their life forward and/or a new idea, concept, project, team or organization. The result - other people benefit as you increase their financial value and your lifetime financial value potential increases, as well. And, being others focused doesn't have to be about financial value.

So, what's your choice? Will you maintain a me-focus or will you ponder the question - "What's Your Lifetime Value Potential?" If you are ready for Instant Change in your life, you will choose to ponder the question, engage into thinking, acting and communicating differently and develop a deep understanding for making a difference and creating value for others. 

If you choose to ponder the question, I guarantee your life will change and you will experience all you have ever imagined possible and most likely experience the impossible, as well.

Happy pondering...

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

ZFactor blog explores and discusses a variety of techniques, tools and discoveries by successful people that will assist others to achieve greater personal and professional success. ZFactor is a proprietary coaching methodology based upon the premise that successful people think and act differently. The ZFactor methodology is proven to accelerate a person's ability to think and act differently.

The genesis of this blog is based upon a current engagement by ZFactor Author, Cindy Goldsberry, who is in collaboration with Zilliant, who provides companies with data-driven guidance, enabling smarter pricing and sales decisions to help businesses increase profitable sales. Read Cindy's blog for more information. Learn how Zilliant is definitely a Value Creator for their clients. In fact, they can measure how much more financial financial they provide to their clients.

Other Important Links:

Instant Change (Friends of Peter)

Lifetime Earnings Calculator

Your Blog Can Predict Your Success Or Failure

How you write and the words you use can make a difference and predict your success or failure in achieving your goals. Do you really want to make a change in your life to achieve greater success? How about lose weight, make more money or check an item off your bucket list?

Blog about your personal goals. Not just listing your goals, but write and talk about how you feel whether or not you are achieving your goals.

Cindy K. Chung*, Dept of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, researched bloggers writing styles in reference to losing weight. The research found that bloggers who wrote about their attitudes, feelings and emotions were more successful at losing weight than bloggers who wrote about their food intake.

I know this sounds very counter intuitive, but consider this. Think about the success people have when they fully engage in a mastermind group, roundtable of like minded professionals or Plus Your Life, Google community.

Participants will initially set their goals and then begin discussing their practices, disciplines and emotions relative to the process of achieving those goals. Apparently, the research shows that people who do this in their blogs are more successful in achieving their goals.

If you are really serious about achieving your goals, stop making daily lists of what you are doing and start writing about your feelings and emotions about it. Better yet, write about it and talk about it with your friends. And, the more frequent you do it, the faster you achieve your desired results.

Funny story: My wife used to weigh herself every morning. The scale was next to the breakfast table where our youngest son, then age 5 (now 19), had observed his Mother doing this. One morning, he asks, "Mom, why do you weigh your feet every day?" After that, it became less important to weigh herself everyday and she moved the scale back to our bathroom.


* Cindy's research is based upon the research by James W. Pennebaker, PhD of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Cindy Chung research overview [pdf]
• James W. Pennebaker, The Secret Life of Pronouns [website] [book]

Keep on blogging what you really think about achieving your goals, 

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

ZFactor blog explores and discusses a variety of techniques, tools and discoveries by successful people that will assist others to achieve greater personal and professional success. ZFactor is a proprietary coaching methodology based upon the premise that successful people think and act differently. The ZFactor methodology is proven to accelerate a person's ability to think and act differently.

Authentic Legacy - Zig Ziglar

A few of my favorite +Zig Ziglar quotes in celebration of his life, legend and legacy.

• "Your attitude, not your aptitude will determine your altitude."
• "Every choice you make has an end result."
• "If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you'll never end up with a nag."
• "If God would have wanted us to live in a permissive society He would have given us Ten Suggestions and not Ten Commandments."
• "It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference."

Prayers and blessings to the Ziglar family and to all Zig Fans. I am a better man, husband, father, businessman, salesman and leader because of Zig Ziglar and a few other book mentors I discovered early in life and at the beginning of my business career. Zig has joined Og Mandino, Dale Carnegie, W. Clement Stone, Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightengale for a major God Special Universe Tour.

Thank you, Mr. Ziglar (Zig) for the legacy you have created that will make a difference for generations to come. Thank you for showing us all the way.

"...it's what you use that makes a difference."

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

Power of the Narrative - Storytelling to Release New Potential

The power of the narrative trend is growing rapidly in corporate America. Why? Because we work in the midst of extreme complexity. Things are changing so rapidly, if we do not stay somewhat current, we can be left behind in a matter of days.

Storytelling, today, has become a new art form. Ever seen one of those videos of someone drawing pictures on a whiteboard, only the drawing is going at a high rate of speed - and, someone is narrating the story as each new picture is revealed? It's engaging isn't it?

It keeps your interest and it encompasses your three primary channels for receiving information and learning. You see and hear it as you internalize the message and integrate what you see and hear with your feelings. Definitely beats a "talking head" or "boring powerpoint at #10 font" doesn't it? 

ZFactor Publishing has seen this trend coming and has positioned itself to be a thought leader in mastering the power of the narrative to help individuals breakthrough the complexity of the situations they face day to day and achieve the results they desire, and more.

This is essential for us to achieve our mission to Reveal and Release Untapped Potential in today's complex and accelerating paced environments. Please engage with us as we move through this journey to bridge the gap between traditional publishing, digital publishing and the new developing territory of narrative publishing. Let's do some on the job learning, together.

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing