Change is one of those things we all have to live with. "Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future," Irving Janus.

I grew up as the oldest of eight in Philadelphia. My mother and grandmother raised me, and I remember early on my grandmother introducing me to reading. Two books that made a difference in my life were "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen, in which I learned man had dominion over all other creation and the power of thought, reasoning and choice, and "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill; from this one I learned "every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit." You see it is not the circumstances that matter, but how we react to the circumstances. It all starts with one thought which is totally our choice.

The following are six steps to personal change. They all start in the mind with positive choices and we must take responsibility for our thoughts and actions.

1. You must re-program your thinking to change your beliefs. This can be done with positive
affirmations and visualization.

2. Re-Program your beliefs you change your expectations. Positive expectations bring:
Excitement
Conviction
Desire
Confidence
Commitment
Energy

3. Renew your expectations and change your attitude. "Change your attitude you change your altitude," Zig Ziglar.

4. Renew your attitude and change your behavior. It is all about action and results.

5. Change your behavior and change your performance. The right action and the right results.

6. Change your performance and you change your life. Now you have a habit after 21 days of positive affirmations

Change is the one thing we all can count on. All of us as individuals and leaders must learn to welcome and manage change. If there is no change needed in an individual, then we stagnate and move backwards. In an organization if there are no barriers there is no need for leaders, as they are hired to be change agents. In other words, no barriers, no opportunities. Therefore change is personal, possible and profitable.

For all of us it starts with our thinking and we must strive to stay positive with affirmations and visualization, have a clear plan, believe we can be successful, have faith and take action. Remember when we welcome and manage change we grow, we have confidence and add value to others. What is holding you back: fear of failure, fear of success, procrastination, family, economy? Only you can make the choice to break through. Are you ready to break through your barriers?

Len Strickler is best described as a motivational coach, teacher and speaker who is unquestionably passionate about building, training, and leading remarkably successful sales teams that deliver fast-to-market results. As a sales executive, he has spent more than 25 years helping high-tech, global companies capture revenue to support product innovation activities, seize a competitive advantage, and generate profit fast. He thrives on the challenges and adventures of working in a global environment. He integrates a powerful mix of visionary leadership, collaborative team approaches, innovative thinking, and sales team mentoring and training to deliver enviable sales results for companies interested in shattering sales performance records.