I just love watching the Olympics, witnessing the numerous feats of athleticism, skill, courage, endurance and passion. Athletes have to hone their bodies as well as their minds and, on the day, it is often the individual who has greatest control over their mind that wins. Major championships are always dramatic and what occurred during the Pairs Figure Skating Programme in the 2006 Winter Olympics at the Turino Palavela was certainly that.

Concentration is a mental skill that has to be developed but when honed to razor-like sharpness its benefits are stupendous.

I was attending a training programme on developing your selling skills when I was introduced to a simple yet highly effective demonstration of the power of concentration. The presenter gave each of us a small pendulum to hold steadily in our outstretched hands.

It's tradition to make New Year resolutions but how many of them do you actually keep?

By the time the excitement of the New Year's celebrations have worn off many resolutions have already been discarded like the millions of tossed out Christmas trees. You slip back into your old ways. You get comfortable. Nothing changes.

Indeed that is the crux of the matter.

One of my favourite quotes is from the sci-fi series, Andromeda,

"Beneath knowing, understanding
Beneath understanding, seeing
Beneath seeing, recognising
Beneath recognising, knowing."
Vision of Faith CY 10003, Andromeda

I think it's a profound and beautiful quote that sums up the mindset of truly successful people.

Often when you ask someone what they want from life they will reply:

"I just want to be comfortable."

Well, I can almost guarantee that anyone who says this is struggling in life and frustrated with their results. Someone who says they just want to be comfortable often feels that they don't deserve great success and that success is elusive.

If you lack success in earning money examine your core beliefs. Randy Gage, author of "Why You're Dumb, Sick and Broke and How You Can be Smart, Healthy and Rich" believes that 97% of all people have one or more of the following as their core beliefs:

1. Money is bad
2. Rich people are evil
3. It's spiritual or noble to be poor

What's more, if you grew up in a modern society where you had access to television, films, and the like then these beliefs would have been programmed into you from an early age.

You have the power to think and you can use your thoughts to grow rich or poor. It really is up to you. For decades man has pondered the quote "I think therefore I am" for man is unique in his ability to be able to think. It is this quality that makes us transcend other animals.

However, change just one word in this quote and it takes on a different meaning.

To succeed in life you've got to step up to the plate. You cannot move forward in life by sitting on the bench - you have to get into the game. You have to get into the habit of saying 'yes' even when you're not sure how you are going to successfully complete the challenge you've accepted.

This can be quite a scary prospect as you might very well fall flat on your face.

Yesterday I saw three baby turtles on the pavement their bodies were so small they could fit into the palm of your hand. Presumably, these turtles would have travelled from the beach a journey which would have taken me mere seconds but for these tiny creatures this journey must have felt like a marathon.

And it was all for nothing. Their bodies lay dry and lifeless by the roadside.

I've felt for a long time that the masses have the wrong approach when it comes to work and play. People generally play their time off around their work and many work themselves to a point where their efficiency, creativity and productivity are at an all time low, not to mention their health, before finally conceding that they needed to take some time off to recharge their batteries.

Jamaicans are known for using the expression "No problem!" and, on the other side of the world, Australians are known for the expression "No worries!" Well, the other day I was reading an article by Tony Mase, a student of Wallace D Wattles (author of "The Science of Getting Rich"), who suggested that we take this one step further and literally eliminate the word "problem" from our vocabulary.