Get Moving!

Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my fate, my destiny. I cannot change it."

YOU CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING. Your FUTURE is YOURS to DESIGN! You always have a CHOICE.

You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your destiny depends on you, not on external factors.

I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it.

Guess what her lifestyle is?

She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle ensues.

Huh?!? Is this what she calls "doing her best?"

She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is her life.

You reap what you sow.

You just don't sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, and get your mind and body to work!

When your life is not “playing out” the way you want it to be, don't just accept it and say: "This is the life I was meant to live" or "Things will get better some day." Don't expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. When something goes wrong, don't just regard it as what is your life; rather use it as feedback. Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to resolve the problem.

It's not enough to think positive; you also have to act positive. In other words..

Don't just stand (or sit) there. DO something to NOW improve YOUR LIFE!

Are You an Asset?

The world has a lot of negative people in it. Are you one of them? Do you expect the worst? Do you criticize more often than praise? It does not have to be this way. A positive attitude can be as simple as changing the way you look at things.

The solution is simple and changing old belief patterns is not always easy to do. Most of us have been stuck in old belief patterns for quite some time. The challenge with negative patterns is that they do not get us what we want out of life.

For example, people often believe the events of our past can pretty much predict our future. With this being the case, people spend a lot of time worrying about the past and the future. By doing this, we miss the opportunity to enjoy today.

So how do we learn to live in the here and now? What we often forget, is that we have a choice. We can choose to experience happiness instead of getting caught up in the chaos of negative thinking. Make the goal of peace of mind and happiness your single most important goal. When you catch yourself falling back into old negative ways, switch your focus back to your goal.

Other factors are also involved. For instance, people spend a lot of time trying to control others; their thoughts, their feelings, and their actions. We can only change how we see the world, other people and ourselves. Once again it boils down to what we choose to do.

We can also learn to see the goodness in ourselves, our relationships and in our work place. Happiness will come easier this way as opposed to finding fault in the world.

A part of having a positive lifestyle is sharing it with others. Focus on how good it feels to do something for someone else without being asked to do it. This is what is called an unconditional gift of love. Look for opportunities to do good deeds for others or give them praise for their abilities. Goodwill can be contagious.

True happiness can also be found through forgiveness. Forgiveness is more than just telling someone, “I forgive you”. It comes from sincere intentions. This will free you from negative feelings such as guilt, sadness, fear, anger, and resentment.

Knowing these principles is one thing, living them is another. It may take time to change old ways of thinking and it is worth the time and effort. When you are willing to work at being consistent in what you think, say and do, true happiness will be yours.

Celebrate Life!!

"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I realized it sooner." -Colette

The other day I was listening to someone complaining about how they have to sell their house and downsize to another house in the $250K range. Many people are experiencing a shift in their lifestyle and instead of focusing on what's wrong; it's time to focus on what's right.

We often take so much for granted and when it's gone we are left with only memories. And, sometimes we may be left with regrets of not appreciating what we had, when we had it.

Now is the time to take stock of your blessings. Today, make a list of all the goodness in your life; of all of your many gifts that you may overlook. You are surrounded by so much that is good, so start to focus on it.

There are many ways to master the art of living. One easy step is to start each day with gratitude. By really focusing on your blessings each morning, you will not only begin your day with a feeling of appreciation, it also puts everything else into perspective. It's the perfect way to get in tune with what is positive in your life and help you appreciate what you so often neglect.

Start each day by simply saying, "Thank-you!"

Make Your Future Bright

Your brighter future begins today. You can be the sun shining through on a cloudy day or the rainbow after a storm. You already have what it takes to do so. Do you know what that is? There are no two greater or endearing qualities than love and kindness. You are an expression of these and they are for you to give and receive freely.

It's not always easy to express these invaluable virtues especially when you're feeling angry, down, stressed, impatient, or doubting yourself, another, or life. Your power and strength comes from knowing when you do, YOU will make a world of difference!

These days with a click of a mouse and a few key words you can read or view inspiring acts of love, kindness, inspiration and laughter from around the world, or you can watch the doom and gloom. The choice is yours as to which you look at and what you do.

Whether you choose to forgive, turn the other cheek, agree to disagree, apologize, let bygones be bygones, be loving and kind, offer a smile, give a warm embrace, offer a donation of time, money, food, shelter, or clothing, or lend a helping hand, the decision is yours and yours alone.

Do you want to make the future brighter for you, others, and generations to follow? You don't have to travel far to offer small acts of love and kindness. You can do this everyday and any time of the day wherever you are.

Love and kindness can be shared in all kinds of simple and creative ways. Put your thinking cap on and see what new ways you can make YOUR future brighter.

Integrity

Get in tune with your integrity and let it be a guiding light in your life. There are many telltale signs of how integrity makes life work. With integrity, your life has flow and is obstacle-free, allowing goals to be achieved more effectively and efficiently. Without integrity, your life has holes in it that leak your personal energy, leaving you drained and tired in an obstacle course of unfinished business.

Personal development training teaches us that integrity is about completeness. It is about finishing what you start, such as your goals. When you can see something through to its conclusion, you will advance your integrity into another level of truth. The more truth you have in your life, the more strength and support you have for your personal goals.

The only way to keep everything glued together is to maintain integrity by living in your personal truth(s).
So, to have the life you want, keep your personal integrity intact.

Get Over It!

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

-Winston Churchill

A question I am often asked is, "How do I stop feeling like I do?". Put another way, "How do I stop the pain?". No matter what your situation, whether you've been left by your partner, you've just lost your job, you have no confidence, you're jealous, you want revenge and on and on, YOU CAN get beyond the emotions and feelings attached to it.

When things don't work out the way you would like them to there's no doubt it will elicit a gamut of emotions and feelings that you have to deal with. It becomes a challenge when you don’t let go of feeling bad about whatever has happened or is happening.

Whether you like it or not, you have to first accept what is. You have no control over what has occurred, wishing things were different isn't going to make it so. It's in this resisting of what is and not accepting, that causes pain.

So, how do you get over it? You change your thoughts. You change what you are saying to yourself about the situation. You get in control of your inner dialogue. You control the one thing you can - your view of it; the way you choose to look at any given set of circumstances.

You can apply this to anything you are experiencing. Remember, no matter what you're experiencing, (job loss, jealousy etc.) it's what you are telling yourself about this situation that keeps you from moving forward. You have to flip the script!

You are the only one who has control of what you think about any given situation. You can make it good or bad, livable or not by how you present it to your mind. Beating yourself over the head with toxic thoughts will only serve to keep you stuck exactly where you don't want to be.

It’s all the way you choose to think about it that will make you or break you. So choose your thoughts wisely. It's 100% your choice as to what you think.

Live In The Present

Sometimes we get lost in the swirl and whirl of our thoughts; in the energy of our emotions. So lost, we can find ourselves angry, hurt, terrified, bewildered, or worried and out of time. We may even be in a memory we are reacting to as if it were real at this very moment, or possibly we are predicting a future that is not possible. This is our imagination, and in that moment, we are our worst enemy.

This, of course, creates the opposite of inner peace. It creates inner turmoil. To call a truce, we must find a way to raise the white flag of truth and call ourselves back to who and where we truly are in this present moment. Being in the present moment tends to have little to do with most of our thinking. It has to do with our 'being' and when we’re ‘being’ in the present moment, we become calm, peaceful, and happy. There's a technique taught called “Narrating The Present”.

Here’s how it works . . .

The body is always in present time. The mind is seldom fully focused on what’s happening right now. It is mostly regretting the past and dreading the future. When we narrate the present we become aware of exactly where it is we are and what it is we’re doing... on a very specific, detailed level. We instruct the inner voice to become the conscious narrator of what is truly going on.

For example, as I’m writing, if I slow down, I can begin to narrate: “My fingers are typing, I am looking at the screen. Now I am breathing in, and now I am breathing out. My fingers are s p e l l i n g the word ‘spelling’, and now I am finishing the sentence and pushing the return key.”

Another example might be when we aren’t able to sleep. We have less distraction than normal in the middle of the night. We are alone with our thoughts and ourselves. So, I might begin by noting, “I am lying on my right side. I am lying in bed and my eyes are closed. Now I am taking a breath in. Now I am letting the breath out. Now I am moving my left arm and touching the pillow with my hand. Now I am adjusting my right foot and breathing in again.”

The more we can slow down and experience where we are, the quieter and more focused the mind can become. This becomes a kind of moving meditation, because we are bringing our attention specifically to what is happening in the current moment. A very different place than where the mind tends to dwell. We are inviting it to dwell here, to bring ourselves peace and calm.

When we are in the moment, narrating the present, there is nothing to worry about, because worry is a negative anticipation of a future that has yet to be and we are simply where we are, observing it and making note, gently and carefully, mindfully, right now.

Practice Patience

Patience is defined as “the state of endurance under difficult circumstances.”  This can mean many different things to various people. This can mean persevering in times of hardship or abuse, or avoiding rash action or becoming needlessly angry. Patience is more like a non-reaction than a reaction.

Whenever there is conflict or some form of discomfort in our lives, our first reaction—indeed our instinct—is to react. We usually react with vehemence when we are scared or agitated. We lash out. We lose our tempers. We criticize. Though conflict and reaction is just a part of human nature, such rash thinking has been responsible for great bloodshed, world wars, premature death, and years and years of nationwide resentment.

It’s safe to say that sometimes the greatest reaction is a non-reaction. When we exercise the quality of patience, we stop ourselves from taking immediate action. We do not emotionally react to an uncomfortable situation. We distance ourselves from the challenge long enough to understand it in logical terms. Eventually, we may decide to take action or to express our dissatisfaction—yes even our anger—with someone else. However, when we do so we will not be emotionally reacting. This will be a decision based on facts, logic and influenced by our quality of patience.

Just think of how different the world would be if everyone learned the quality of patience. Indeed, the world would change. You could even say that patience has the power to “rule the world”, because the most logical people in life usually make the wisest choices. People who react rashly will eventually make the wrong decision, and that decision could cost someone his or her life.

Someone who is patient can work with others, and focus on practical solutions to challenges. Indeed, this is a trait that the greatest world leaders in history have all cultivated.  You can cultivate this quality too—and rule the world with kindness.

Take Action

Here are 3 reasons most successful entrepreneurs have adopted an “Act Now - Think Later” philosophy about their pursuit of trends and business opportunities. What you will find is that this approach is not as risky as it may sound!

Take Action

The 'proactive' entrepreneur typically regards any business opportunities that show promise as something they either act upon immediately or forget about it completely. There is no 'middle of the road' thinking here insofar as possibly taking action later on. They know future efforts will not offer the same advantages or benefits due to a decreasing demand or increasing competition! In addition the longer you postpone on making any decisions the less likely any decision will ever be made.

It Scores

Fast action, even without a well thought out plan, will give you a much better idea as to the promise any venture may hold. If potential is evident, it is at this time many successful entrepreneurs will begin to develop a more comprehensive plan or strategy to make the most out of the opportunity. By putting together a plan 'after' seeing verifiable potential, you know the effort you are investing will be worth your time.

If It Fails – Next!

By taking action immediately you can get a better feel as to whether more of your time and effort is warranted. Here again you have saved yourself much in terms of time, effort and frustration.

The potential for financial success exist in many different opportunities that present themselves to people but to turn this potential into reality requires taking action. This may be the single biggest difference between successful entrepreneurs and those who fail. It is all too common for people to hesitate when facing big decisions, which then leads to self-doubt and eventually no action being taken.

The reasoning behind the willingness for many entrepreneurs to make such quick decisions concerning business matters is thus revealed. Surprisingly, for what appears to be such a risky approach, their reasoning reveals some very logical, sound and profitable thinking.

Welcome Stress

Stress - is it always a negative?  Stress factors into our motivation more times than we may realize. In this way, it can provide a positive in your life. The common perception is that mental stress is bad for our health and in fact is viewed by some medical practitioners as an illness that can kill! Strangely enough is that using stress as a source of motivation can actually help us to increase our personal productivity and lead to a happier life.

Here are 3 ways how using stress can actually lead to an increase in our personal productivity.

Sense of Urgency

Using stress as a source of motivation comes with a 'natural' advantage which exists a sense of urgency in your actions. Much like running down a hill with a large boulder right behind you, there is little need to dig deep for motivation since you obviously want to alleviate and/or eliminate the anxious feelings. Another good thing is that the more productive you are the less you are feeling stressed or anxious so it is really a win-win situation.

Increase in Focus

With a sense of urgency, your ability to maintain your focus also increases as well.  In many cases, a lack of concentration can be attributed to boredom since the task at hand is not being perceived as a priority.  Mental stress has a way of capturing your attention.  With this focus, you now will also experience an increase in your personal productivity.

Increases Resourcefulness

Now that you are fully concentrating on what it is you are doing you are better able to think more clearly.  It is amazing that as we get pushed to the 'edge' how quickly we can think and respond in certain situations. Hats off to our survival instincts!

The ways in which stress factors into our motivation is strangely ironic from the standpoint that it can actually lead to an increase in personal productivity.  How can mental stress, which is commonly perceived as an illness that can kill you, serve such a positive role in our lives! The 3 examples discussed above serve to demonstrate how using stress as a source of motivation can actually perform a positive. Now this is not to say you should seek out tension deliberately to serve as a motivator.  And there are certain times such an undesirable can be of service. For the record, I am still a huge fan of simply using desire to motivate me. On the other hand however, if being stressed will serve a useful purpose for me, I welcome its help.