Just recently a man swam across the North Pole. It took him just over 18 minutes. The water was about 29 degrees Fahrenheit. He said it was the longest swim of his life.

Now, what do you do in your daily business that could be as difficult to overcome as that?

The most interesting part to me was that he had a "mind coach" with him as part of his team to get him through the event. Why? Because that was the hardest part - getting over the mental hurdle. The physical body is relatively easy to train. It's the mind that needs the most training focus.

This is a great reminder for those who work their own business, especially if you're doing it from a home office. We don't have to face the physical adversity of swimming in below freezing waters, but sometimes it can seem like the mental block is just as tough.

Not everyone can hire a full time mind coach, but everyone can put themselves in with the masters on a daily basis. Books like Think and Grow Rich and The E-Myth put you in touch with the top thinkers and practitioners of success. Even when you read works like this can have an effect on your outcome.

Absorbing this kind of thinking and "hanging out' with the authors through their words is best done early in the morning when you first wake and at night just before you go to sleep. The mind is in the most receptive states at these times and the impressions you place there are most likely to stick. This is also where having set your goals in writing will come into play.

You take those goals and imprint them on your subconcious by saying them out load to yourself each morning and night. Your mind will take these as reality and help you achieve the goals you have set. Visualize yourself in possession of you goals. Take on the feelings you expect when you have achieved these goals. By placing them in the present, you will begin to subconsciously take the actions that are in alignment with your stated goals.

And really, how hard can this be? It must be easier than convincing yourself to swim in bone chilling water.