Do you dwell on small mistakes for hours, days, or even weeks after they occur? Are you crushed when someone points out a small flaw in your work? Have you ever spent four hours fine-tuning a task that could have been completed in 10 minutes?

By Lexi Petronis Some strategies for success have been the same since Helen of Troy rose from mere pretty face to The Face That Launched a Thousa...

When we find an interest that adds meaning to our lives and to those around us, our life becomes more fulfilled. Our personal brand becomes glossier on the inside and on the outside. In essence, we are being the person we are most proud of.

Have you ever tried to lose weight by not thinking about food? How about trying to stop yourself from calling your love interest by blocking out all thoughts about that person? Ever try to quit smoking by trying not to think about smoking? Did it work? I'll bet it didn't.

Let's face it: Too often, our New Year's resolutions are toothless fairytales that quickly fall by the wayside, abandoned long before February rolls around. The good news is that it needn't be this way.

No matter your age -- if you're in your 20s or your 80s -- you can still find a way to fulfill the passions that live inside you by putting a plan in place. Without an action plan, those passions will forever live in the back of your mind rather than becoming a reality.

If you do anything to work on the mental side of your sport, it had better be mental imagery. Why? Because there is no more powerful mental tool than mental imagery and it can have a huge impact on your sports performance.

The "presenter's paradox" is a fascinating example of how our instincts about selling -- ourselves, our company, or our products -- can be surprisingly bad.

Vow to begin today with no regrets. Commit to showing the world why you are here. Promise to live with passion. Spread your wings, stretch your spirit and learn to soar. After all, tomorrow is a present to be lived today.

Empowerment means accessing and marshaling all the passion, power and purpose you have inside you, so that you can live and work as you truly want to.

At the California Women's Conference, as a speaker my intention was to share practical, non-intimidating tips for attending entrepreneurs in way that was both concise, informational, and motivational, and to be seen as someone who had the ability to do so.

How often do you talk yourself out of even looking into something or checking out a possibility because of that voice inside your head saying things like "gee, they must get bombarded with things like this all the time," or "that's never going to work"?

If you've begun to make a lifestyle change -- a new diet, exercise routine, stress reduction activity, or anything else -- consider that there will be times when you may need or want to get off your lifestyle wagon.

I have found in my work that too many of us struggle to claim our power, and there are those of us who inadvertently sabotage it. In what ways do we undermine ourselves and how can we stop doing that? Here are six pitfalls that can be turned.

A growing body of research, including new studies by Berkeley's Juliana Breines and Serena Chen, suggest that self-compassion, rather than self-esteem, may be the key to unlocking your true potential for greatness.

September to the end of December is a great time to assess your life, regroup and make a plan of attack in order to achieve what you want before the end of the year. There is nothing better than pulling out a success in the last few months of the year to end 2012 on a high.

First, one needs to consciously decide to take control of their life. To direct your life is both a pleasure and a pain. The pleasure is a symptom of going through the pain. And by just making that decision, we begin our journey to being the person we've always wanted to be.

Modern life is full of distracting clamor, from text messages and emails to window displays in the mall. Other people tug at you with their priorities, which may not be your own. If you don't make a sanctuary for what is important, it will get overrun by the Bermuda grass of B and C priorities.

What does it take to maximize your income potential at a time when the economy seems uncertain? What does it take to secure some cushion of comfort that promotes peace of mind? If you're like many people today, financial concerns top the list of worries.

What are the key characteristics of well-motivated Olympic athletes? And how do we achieve them? Through my extensive work with numerous Olympians over several years, I have developed a constellation of traits that defines the champion's mentality.

It's never been a more important time to believe in your dreams. Stand up for what matters to you most, speak up and be heard. Your dreams matter and will impact the lives of many others, most importantly your own life and destiny.

Imagine that you've been sprinkled with some fairy dust that allowed you to keep a resolution without any effort at all. What resolution would make the biggest difference to your happiness?

If you believe we all have the ability, given the right conditions, to have an extraordinary life -- whether it is as an Olympic athlete, scientist or teacher -- what can we learn from Olympic athletes to turn our dreams into reality?

We've heard it so many times that by now it certainly must be true: "If it didn't work out the first time, try harder." We're told that we'll get nowhere without taking action. That we can meditate all we want, but our action is what will actually make things happen.

Over the course of the last 20 years, many things have changed and developed in my life. Here are some excellent guidelines I have picked up along the way and have learned to follow, without a doubt.