Category: Motivated

11 Powerful Affirmations To Use Daily

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Affirmations are a great way to prime our minds for success, repeating positive affirmations daily can have a profound effect on the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Starting the day with positive affirmations can help us to set the tone for anything we want to achieve thereafter.

  1. I am worthy of what I seek.
  2. I am capable of greatness.
  3. I am good enough.
  4. I am worthy of love.
  5. I am grateful to be alive today.
  6. I can have anything I desire.
  7. I am worthy of a loving relationship.
  8. I see myself with unconditional positive regard.
  9. I am in the process of manifesting my dream life.
  10. I refuse to settle for anything less than my true worth.
  11. I am grateful for the people I surround myself with.

Be positive with a sound vibe!

18 Ways To Learn How To Stop Procrastinating Now (Part 4)

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Hey guys!

Today I will be sharing the last part of my series on procrastination.

1. Determine if it’s worth doing.
You might just be procrastinating because you don’t want to do something for a good reason. It may be a job you hate, a procedure you can’t stand, a part of your life that you simply want to escape. That is different from procrastinating on your dreams and real goals.

To this, I would say examine the task at hand before doing it because why do something you hate with so many opportunities to do what we love?

2. Tiptoe in to see what happens.
Pick the thing you are procrastinating right now and just tiptoe in to see what happens. Do a fraction of it. Then decide how you feel about the advice.

Often you overwhelm yourself with the idea of doing it all and then you sit on it because it’s too much. What if you just did 15 minutes or half an hour? What if you got on board for just a wee bit to get a taste and break the waiting cycle?

3. Don’t listen to your moods. They lie.
The strongest reason we procrastinate is because we just “don’t feel like doing it!” You know what happens if you listen to that lousy mood? Nothing happens!

So before you do whatever you need to do, change your mood with a meditation track or check out my popular 10 Minute Invigorator Program that is guaranteed to switch up your mood in 10 minutes or less.

4. Clean up the environment.
The environment you surround yourself with can either perpetuate your procrastination or nip it in the bud. Take a look at your desk, your house, your space where you need to do this work. Is it clean or cluttered ?
Have courage and clean up the mess, throw away the rubbish you don’t need, and create a peaceful and productive space that is inducive to creativity and positivity.

5. Commit to it loud and clear.
In the first 20 minutes of my 6am Ashtanga yoga practice, a voice inside me is complaining and fussing “This is way too hard at this crazy hour. Let me go back to bed. Stop! I don’t feel like it!” And I know right then that if I give power to that mental shift, if I don’t commit loudly to the breath and the practice, if I stare at the clock, then I might as well go home.
Commit already. Commit loud. Commit and mean it. Commit to yourself.

6. Share your commitment with one person.
Choose one person, a partner, a spouse, a role model, a good friend, and tell them you committed to something specific, with dates and times. Ask if they please hold you accountable in a friendly but firm way?

The best partner is someone who may need the encouragement too. What is it that they are procrastinating on? Can you keep one another honest? Of course you can! Together, you are twice as strong!

7. Stop playing the victim card.
Why do we glorify being a victim of circumstance? Why do complainers get so many listening ears? There is nothing sexy or healthy about playing the victim, trust me.

Be your own hero instead. Be a warrior of peace. Be strong and tall and grateful for life. Stop the victim mindset and when it creeps in, just change it by telling yourself that you are in charge.

8. Kill the excuses. Abolish the distractions.
In order to do this, you must first know the definition of an excuse and a distraction. The dictionary definition says an excuse is “ a reason put forward to conceal the real reason for an action.”

Excuses and distractions build the walls of resistance, but only if you give them focus and attention. Put your focus and attention where it belongs: on the task at hand.

9. Maximize the small chunks of time.
You have got to manage your time well if you want to be a success. One good news is that you don’t need large chunks of time to get things done.
If you can’t dedicate an hour or two a day to something that matters to you, you can start with 15 minutes or 30 minutes a day, but for the long term, think about a fundamental shift in your lifestyle design. For now, use the 10-minute chunks everywhere you can find them.

10. Let the power of mantra guide you.
Mantras are positive affirmations you repeat to yourself over and over. This can help you achieve this. You can even synchronize your breathing. In-breath will do the first half of the mantra and out breath the second half.

Some of my favorites are “If they can, so can I” and “ I’ll do it now so I can reap the reward later.” Choose your own mantra and repeat it.

11. Turn a deaf ear to your lizard brain.
The inner voice is negative, it is your lizard brain , as Seth would tell us, and if you let it loose, it will destroy your mind with negativity. Stop listening to it by not focusing on it.
Recognize when you may be entering your lizard brain, it’s usually when you doubt your ability to get something done. Even if you don’t believe in yourself at first, keep repeating your positive mantra to quiet the negativity.

12. Visualize the end goal. See it in your mind’s eye.
Visualization is a powerful exercise that helps you focus on the end goal. It is a proven technique that kills procrastination and motivates you to high levels of success.

It takes a lot of focus and attention to seeing the end goal and how it can manifest itself in your life. Start with creating a vision board if you want to give this a full try.

13. Create enough pain to move you to action.
Pain moves you to action. It was pain that led me out of my corporate life and into running my own businesses.

If you have enough pain, you will start doing. And if you told me that you wanted out of the corporate world but you are sitting around not taking any action, it’s because you are not in enough pain to take action.

So are you in pain from not doing what needs to be done? Let’s take weight loss. Are you in enough anguish from your weight and health problems to take action yet? If not, then can you creatively create more pain (yes I am asking you to create more pain in your comfortable state)?

14. Harness the fear and win.
Say no to fear. Fear is procrastination’s best ally so it’s bound to show up. Just don’t accept it. Don’t invite it in. Engage it in conversation to calm your nerves, to be in charge, to have control. If you can do this once, you can do it again and soon it becomes a habit.

Who hasn’t had a conversation with oneself? Why not make it a good one? In the privacy of your thoughts, ask yourself why you are procrastinating, what it is, is it fear, is it laziness, is it lack of knowledge? What is at your soft core? Listen to the whispers coming back. Then let your own inner guide help you push past the fear.

15. Cultivate self-discipline.
It’s either the pain of getting self-disciplined now or tasting the bitter pill of regret later. When put in that perspective, it is a quick decision. To translate it to action, create your own small habits that will build up your productivity.

Everyone is different. Cultivate at the pace what works for you, maybe an hour early in the morning, maybe a Sunday night ritual, maybe timing yourself, maybe working in complete isolation. Find that magic habit that works for you. That’s your self-discipline.

16. Make that deadline count.
Setting deadlines is easy to do and hard to keep. Nothing could be easier than putting a date on the calendar so how do you make it count if you hate deadlines? Put some repercussions in place.

Tell yourself that if you are not done by this date, you have to give up on something you really like. For me, the ultimate punishment would be my daily good tea . What do you want to give up if you don’t meet that deadline?

17. Drop the perfectionism.
Perfectionism is not something to be proud of. It is a habit that holds you back from delivery results. Don’t mistake it with high quality. Of course you must delivery your highest work at the best quality, but perfection? Do you think that it even exists?

Have you ever achieved the state of perfectionism and been rewarded to the point that you now hold yourself to it every time? Learn to cure your perfectionism and move yourself to a steady state of taking action.

18. Reward yourself big every time.
We do not reward ourselves nearly enough. When you achieve a goal, any shape or size, especially one you have been procrastinating on for a long time, celebrate it! Buy yourself something wonderful. Give yourself a day off. Do something you rarely do for yourself. Look at your accomplishment with gratitude and joy.

It’s a big deal when you break through the barriers of procrastination. Congratulations are in order! How do you celebrate in style? I book a trip somewhere special and run off to practice more yoga.
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment. ~ Jim Rohn

What are you procrastinating on? Did you learn more about how to stop procrastinating by stopping here?

Dear God, Thank You For Everything

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Thank you for always guiding me in the right direction and for knowing what is best for me more than I do.

Thank you for the many times you have forgiven me whenever I deviated from your path.

Thank you for always reminding me that sometimes you are the only one I can trust, you are the only I can talk to and you are the only one who is truly listening.

Thank you for all these blessings that I take for granted on a daily basis.

Thank you for not hating me when I was ungrateful or rude or when my faith was shaken.

Thank you for the times you have inspired me to seek knowledge and know more about the world and about myself.

Thank you for giving me the spirituality I need to contemplate the wonders of the world and the wonders of your creation and the magic of your words and your daily miracles.

Thank you for the thousands of chances you have given me.

Thank you for all the lessons, especially the hard ones.

Thank you for the love you have shown me through family and friends.

Thank you for the hardships — indeed, every hardship was followed by ease.

Thank you for always being in my heart and embracing me in my lonely nights.

Thank you for sending me all these warning signs through your messengers who were disguised as people or books or just gut feelings.

Thank you for giving me the strength I needed to endure pain and be comfortable with my loneliness.

Thank you for giving me a reason to wake up every day.

Thank you for giving me people to look up to.

Thank you for sending me people to love.

Thank you for inspiring me to keep trying to be a better person.

Thank you for giving me that faith I need when there seems to be no hope.

Thank you for being patient with me when I can’t even be patient with myself.

Thank you for whispering into my soul when I almost felt dead inside.

Thank you for showing me that this life is fleeting and unpredictable and that I shouldn’t take it for granted.

Thank you for showing me that you are the truth.

Thank you for health, for shelter, and for food.

Thank you for healing me when I was broken.

Thank you for being there when no one else was.

Thank you for everything.

Thank you for it all.

I wish I can carry out the message you have for me on this earth right –carry it with love and carry with peace.

I wish I can pass the message on and make a difference.

I am writing this for anyone who is feeling lost, desperate, sad, angry or heart broken. Someone who is going through a lot of hardships or feels betrayed by the world, I would like them to know that you are the answer and the only guidance.

That they don’t have to look outside or find someone else to heal them, all they have to do is look up and talk to you or just look for you inside their hearts.

This is the only way to deal with hardships and deal with life.

Thank you for always being there and for reassuring me that no matter what, I will never be alone.

Get Fired Up In Achieving Your Dreams

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What drives you to get up in the morning and chase your dreams? Why are you working until 10PM on a weekend? Why are you at home working when you could be out partying or hanging out with friends? It’s easy to get lost in your own head and allow procrastination to put your dreams in a standstill.

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A few quotes to get you fired up…

“Good things happen to those who hustle.” – Anais Nin

“My entire life can be summed up in four word: I hustled. I conquered. ” – Unknown

“The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately.” – Unknown

“You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.” – Jim Rohn

Have a blessed and wonderful week guy!!!

Turning Trials Into Triumph

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Happy weekend guys. Thanks for stopping by.

You know every success story is riddled with trials and tragedy. Our ability to overcome these obstacles is what makes them so appealing. From small startups disrupting industry giants to a small platoon battling a massive army, there are moments that test our character and build our resolve.

When it seems like there’s nowhere to go is when the fiercest battles take place in our mind, body, and spirit. The ones who triumph are forever remembered and depicted as heroes while those who fail are often forgotten.

So, what’s the difference between these people?

Well, it’s not their position, stature or even wealth. The determining factor that separates the great and the not-so-great is their grit and determination. In one word, it’s perseverance.

This is the quality that keeps us moving forward in a sea of adversity. It’s what pushes us to keep fighting against the current and overcome tidal waves of doubt. We batten down the hatches and weather the storm knowing that it will soon pass and we’ll be better after it.Image result for trials to triumph

A Tale Of Turning Trials Into Triumphs

The crew of the Essex knows this quality all too well. When placed between a rock and a hard place, they chose to rise to the occasion. This incredible true story of perseverance and fighting spirit is the inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

The Essex was a whaling ship from Nantucket, Massachusetts piloted by Captain Pollard and his 20 men in the 1800’s. During their whaling expedition, the ship was rammed by a whale which caused it to sink.

This left Captain Pollard and the crew fending for their lives on three small rescue boats, hundreds of miles away from civilization with no land in sight. With little provisions, much of the Essex crew did what they could to fight off starvation and dehydration. Sadly, much of the crew perished due to these abysmal conditions. Despite this, the survivors did not lose hope.

In such a dire situation, most would succumb to the circumstances. Captain Pollard, however, kept his resolve and encouraged his men. After weeks at sea, the remaining survivors eventually resorted to cannibalism and doing everything necessary to fight off death.

Surviving long enough for a passing ship to rescue them, the survivors were found delirious, starved and a shadow of their former selves. Eventually, the surviving crew members were able to return to Nantucket, where they tried to forget the horrors of the ocean.

Fighting seemingly insurmountable odds is why the Essex survivors will forever be remembered. Their courage and ability to endure the agony of hopelessness are qualities that are admirable and something we should all strive for.

Conclusion

Luckily, we rarely face life and death circumstances. But, many times we are too easily discouraged at the first sign of resistance- unable to say no, stand up, and do what is necessary for the face of adversity. We must learn to channel our inner survivor and fight off these obstacles with the tenacity of a prize fighter.

To do otherwise would be selling ourselves short and conforming to the reality that society has placed on us. Rather than living on our knees, let’s die on our feet knowing that, at the end of the day, we gave life everything we had. Leaving no stone unturned, forever pushing past our comfort zones.

We must realize that life is a bold adventure and to take advantage of it, we must keep moving forward. Let’s make the commitment to strengthen our resolve because if we never quit, there’s no way we’ll fail. And that is exactly how you start turning trials into triumph.

 

Photo credit: Google

Be Good, Be Kind, Believe You Will Make It, No Matter The Challenges Ahead

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Who have watched the movie Dr. Cabbie?

The movie is about an Indian Doctor graduate who traveled to Canada with his mother through his uncle to get a job and start a life. What he expected shocked him as he thought it was going to be easy to get a doctor job in Canada as soon as he landed. So he made a friend who was a cab driver who later introduced him to the cab business. Unknowing to him he thought he was the only qualified candidate amongst his colleagues until he found out that most of the cab drivers are PhD graduates. He got the job and became a cab driver.

One certain night he was chilling with his friend in the cab, when he saw a lady he first spruced at in a diner shop. But he couldn’t say anything in front of her. 😂😂😂 first time tension… So back to reality. He approached her and was surprised she was knocked up already. He was kinda 😭tho but he offered her a ride because the cloud was about to cry. On there way, her water broke in a terrible traffic. This was an opportunity for him to perform his passion and duty, he decided to put his skills into action. To cut the long story short, he delivered the baby safely. Since that incident, he became a local celebrity, from there he got his Nick name Dr. Cabbie. He started helping people who don’t have health insurance cover, money or HMO.

In a long run, challenges came knocking at the door. After helping a suicidal lady from jumping off the bridge, he prescribed a drug for her to make her rest. Instead of following the prescription instructions, she took an overdose of the drugs due to pressure from her family and went unconscious. The drugs was later traced to Dr. Cabbie. The authority stepped in and arrested the doctor during his birthday party.

After series of testifiers during trial, he won the case after a shocking fast court marriage to the lady he helped during her labor. The judge couldn’t deport him back to India. In all his punishments was to serve 500 hrs of community service for unlicensed prescription of drugs.

In all he became a doctor in Canada.

What are the moral lessons of this movie:

  • No challenges is too big
  • Don’t give up no matter what
  • Start something small even if it’s out of your career
  • Always be good and kind
  • Have faith and be patient
  • Every disappoint is a blessing
  • Don’t be lazy

If you have not watched this movie, I recommend you do.

Repost: 15 Things You Can Start Doing Today to Bring Inner Peace Into Your Life

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The daily life can be busy, hectic and at times overwhelming.

It may sometimes feel like bringing just a little more inner peace and calmness into your life is a hopeless wish.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Small and smart changes can over time make a big difference.

So today I’d like to share 15 of my own favorite tips for finding more peace and calmness in everyday life.

1. Set limits. If your life is overfilled you may need to set some limits. So stop doing some of the least important things, the things that honestly don’t matter that much. Set a limit for how many times you will check inboxes, Instagram, Twitter etc. per day. And say no if you really don’t have the time.

2. Find a relaxation technique that works for you. I like belly breathing and working out to release tensions and recharge during the day. What works for you? Long walks, music, yoga, meditation or going for a swim? Find out and do that.

3. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. This can create a lot of unnecessary stress. When facing what looks like a mountain ask yourself questions like: Does someone on the planet have it worse than me right now? Will this matter in 5 years? These questions help you to zoom out and realize that things may not be that bad and that you can handle them.

4. Slow down. Your emotions work backwards too. If you slow down while walking, moving your body or talking you can often start to feel less stressed (compared to if you move/talk fast). Slowing down to decrease stress goes for many other things you do in everyday life too like riding your bicycle, working at your desk and eating.

5. Unclutter your world, unclutter your mind. Just take 3 minutes to declutter your workspace or the room you’re in. A uncluttered, simplified and ordered space around you brings clarity and order to the mind. So don’t stop there. Declutter, simplify and organize your home and life too to live in a more relaxing environment.

6. Use a minimalistic workspace. My work space is just a laptop on a wooden desk. I use a comfy chair and there is room for my glass of water beside the computer. That’s it. There are no distractions here. Just me, the computer and the water. This brings peace and makes it easier to focus during my working hours.

7. Be 10 minutes early. It’s a small habit but it has transformed much of my travel time during the year from a slightly or very stressful time to periods of relaxation and recharging.

8. Accept and let go. Now is now. But if something negative from the past – something someone said, something someone did – is still on your mind then accept and let that feeling and thought in instead of trying to push it away. When you accept that it is then it starts to lose power. And while the facts may still be there in your head the negative feelings become a lot less powerful. At this point, let that thing go like you are throwing out a bag of old clothes. And direct your focus to the present moment and something better instead.

9. Ask instead of guessing. Reading minds is pretty much impossible. But still we often try it and create anxiety, uncertainty and misguided conclusions for ourselves. So ask and communicate instead. It may sometimes be a bit hard at first but it can save you and the people around you so much trouble in the long run.

10. Escape for a while. Read a novel, watch your favorite TV-show or a movie. It’s simple but it works well to just release pressure and relax.

11. Solve a problem that is weighing down on you. Don’t procrastinate anymore. Solve your problem and release it and all the underlying stress and tension that it is creating in your life. You probably already know what to do, you are just not doing it yet. But the longer you wait the worse the tension inside becomes. So get up from your chair and get started on doing it for just 1-3 minutes right now.

12. Disconnect over the weekend. Leave your work – and work phone – where it belongs. Disconnect or at least limit your internet activity and the checking of your smart phone over the weekend. And spend more of your Saturdays and Sundays with an undivided attention on your family, friends, hobby or maybe being out in nature.

13. Remember the 5 little words that’ll help you to stay sane: one thing at a time. By keeping those words in mind and letting them guide you through your day and week you’ll be less stressed and more focused (and that will not only bring more inner peace but also help you to do a better and quicker job at pretty much anything).

14. Breathe. When stressed, lost in a problem or the past or future in your mind breathe with your belly for two minutes and just focus on the air going in and out. This will calm your body down and bring your mind back into the present moment again.

15. Remember: There’s a day tomorrow too. Sometimes you have a bad day. Or life interferes with your plans for the day. And so you don’t get what you had planned or hoped for done. The best way to handle such a situation is – in my experience – simply to kindly tell yourself that there’s a day tomorrow too and that you can get it done then. Beating yourself up is on the other hand not a smart or helpful strategy.

12 Powerful Tips to Overcome Negative Thoughts (and Embrace Positive Thinking)

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“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can’t be done.” Bo Bennett

It starts with just a thought or a feeling. Or maybe with a sentence spoken by someone else.
And then it starts to drag you down. Into feeling sorry for yourself , worried or into thinking “what’s the point of taking any action at all?” as you walk around in a funk with your own personal rain cloud above your head.
Negativity that wells up inside of you or in the world around you can quickly become toxic and hold you back from living the life you want.
So in this week’s post I want to share 12 tips and habits that have helped me – and still help me – to prevent and to overcome my own negative thoughts but also the negativity that’s sometimes around me.

1. When you’re in what seems like a negative situation, find what’s good or helpful.
If you’ve had a setback, stumbled or failed then things might look bleak and so negative thoughts may start to crop up and threaten to fill your view of this situation.

To counteract that ask yourself better questions.
Questions that will help you to feel better but also to learn so you can grow.

Questions like:
What’s one good thing about this situation?
What’s one thing I can do differently the next time to likely have a better outcome?
What’s one thing I can learn from this?
How would my best friend support and help me in this situation?

2. Reminder: people don’t care that much about what you say or do.

It’s easy to fall into negative thoughts when you think about what people may say or think if you do or do not do something. And so you zap your personal power and may trap yourself in analysis paralysis.

Getting stuck in your head and in thoughts like that will drag you further away from what you want and from reality.

Because the truth is that people don’t have that much time, attention or energy to think or talk about what you do. They have their hands and minds full with their kids, jobs, pets, hobbies and their own fears and worries (like for example what people may think of them).

This realization and reminder can help you to set yourself free from the constraints you may create in your own mind and help you to start taking small – or bigger steps – towards what you deep down want in your life.

3. Question the thought.
One thing I like to do when a negative thought taps me on the shoulder and tries to start growing in my mind is to simply to question that thought.

I ask myself:
Should I take you seriously?
This most often leads me to say: well, no, I honestly shouldn’t. Because at that moment in time I’m tired. Or hungry. Or overworked and so negativity can try to cloud my mind. Or I am getting too focused on one small mistake or one bad day. Instead of focusing on the other 95% of my life that tends to be positive.

Sometimes this question helps me to see that just because I did one small thing wrong doesn’t mean that I did poorly overall. Or that this one negative thing doesn’t mean that things will get worse and stay like that for a long time. Not if I chose optimism and to take small steps forward.
Basically, this question gives me a reality check and grounds me to a level-headed perspective again.

4. Replace the negativity in your surroundings.
What you let into your mind in your everyday life will have big effect on you. So start questioning what you allow in.

Ask yourself:
What are the top 3 sources of negativity in my life?
It could be people, websites, magazines, podcasts, music and so on.

Then ask yourself:
What can I do to spend less time with these 3 sources this week?

If you can’t find ways to do that right now for all three of them then take a smaller step and focus on doing that with just one of these sources.
Then spend the time you’ve freed up this week on more positive sources and people that are already in your life or that you want to explore and perhaps make a new part of it.

5. Stop making mountains out of molehills.
To stop a small negative thought from becoming a big monster in your mind confront it early. You can do that by for example using tip #3 in this article.

Or you can zoom out. Do that by asking yourself a question like: Will this matter in 5 years? Or even 5 weeks?

This answer is likely in most cases that it won’t and that you were only starting to make a mountain out of a molehill (or out of plain air).

6. Let it out and talk it over.
Keeping negative thoughts that are starting to cloud your whole mind bottled up won’t help.
So let them out. Talk the situation or your thoughts over with someone close to you.

Just venting for a few minutes can often help you to see the situation in new light. Or if not then a conversation about it where the two of you find a more useful perspective and perhaps the start of an action-plan can be both relieving and recharging.

7. Live in and come back to this moment.
When you’re tapping into negative thinking then you’re often thinking about something that happened. Or something that may happen. Or both, all jumbled up as your mood and thoughts sink.

To snap out of that put your attention fully into this moment instead. Into what’s here right now.
Start making it a habit to spend more of your time in the present moment and you’ll, in my experience, naturally have less negative thoughts and be more open and constructive.

A couple of ways to bring yourself back to being mindful and this moment are:
Focus only on your breathing. Take a 1-2 minute pause right now and take a little deeper breaths than you usually do. Make sure you’re breathing with your stomach and through your nose.

During this time focus only on the air going in and out and nothing else.

Take in the world around you. Take a 1-2 minute break, get out of your head and put your attention on what’s around you right now.

Nothing else. Just focus on the people walking by outside your window, the muffled words and noises from the street, the smells around you and the sun shining in and warming your skin.

8. Go for a short workout.
I find that when I’m having trouble with thinking myself out of negativity then it often works well to change my headspace by using my body. So I go for a 20-30 minute workout and lift some free weights.

This helps me to release inner tension and worries. And it makes my mind focused and constructive once again.

9. Don’t let the vague fears drag you down.
One common mistake people make when it comes to fears – and that I’ve made many times – is to become scared and run away from them instead of taking a closer look.

It’s of course natural to feel that impulse and to want to avoid it but when fears are vague they can become so much scarier than they need too.
So what can you do? One thing that has helped me is this question:
Realistically, what’s the worst that could happen in this situation?

When you start to ground a fear like that and begin to look at it with your feet firmly planted on the ground then you most often realize that the worst that could happen isn’t really that bad.
It’s often something you can make a plan to come back from it were to happen. And you can also probably start listing and taking action on a few things that will reduce the likelihood of this worst case scenario happening.

By doing this you gain clarity about the situation and what you can do about it and so the fear does tend to become quite a bit smaller.

10. Bring positivity into someone else’s life.
If you get stuck in negative thoughts or victim thinking then one of the simplest ways to get out of your own head and the thoughts bouncing around in there is to focus outwards and on someone else.

By adding positivity to his or her life in some way you too can start to feel better and more optimistic again.

A few ways to add positivity to someone’s life is to: Be kind. Give him a genuine compliment, hold up the door or let him into your lane while driving your car.

Help out. Give her some good advice that have helped you or help out with moving houses or planning and preparing for the party next weekend.

Just be there. Listen for a few minutes in a focused way as he vents. Or talk his difficult situation over to help him to start finding his way out of it.

11. Be grateful for a few of the things you may often take for granted.
When we get negative it’s easy to forget the positive things in life. Especially the ones that are just a normal part of life that we may take for granted a bit too often.

A few such things that I like to put my attention on and feel grateful for during such negative times are: Three steady meals a day. A roof over my head during the cold nights and the rainy and windy days. As much clean water as I want.
Kind and helpful family and friends.

12. Start tomorrow in a way that sets a positive tone for your day.
How you start your day often sets the tone for it.
A pessimistic or negative start makes it hard to turn things around. But a positive start makes it a lot easier to just keep going with that emotion and the optimistic way of thinking until it is bedtime again.

A couple of simple ways to get your day off to a positive start is:
A simple reminder that you see right after you wake up. It could be one or a couple of quotes that inspire you. Or maybe the goal or dream that you’re most passionate about right now.

Write it down on a piece of paper and place it on your bedside table or on the fridge. Or type it in as a part of the lock screen on your smart phone.

Get some positive information or conversation flowing into your mind. Listen to a podcast, read a new blog post or a chapter in a book that motivates you or makes you laugh. Or have a fun or uplifting conversation with your partner, kids or a co-worker.

Understanding How Change Affects Us

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Change is inevitable. We need to press forward into it.

When people move, change jobs, lose relationships and thousands of other types of changes they are under a certain amount of pressure. Change means dealing with the unknown. We like to have all our ducks in a row and to know exactly what’s happening each step of the way. When something changes, things are different. This can be threatening as well as taxing. Change always requires more of our attention.staircase-change

For instance, when we are developing new relationships with people, we must learn how they react in every situation. What things do they like? What do they dislike? What is acceptable to say to them? What is not? Will they get offended if we tease them?

Getting to know someone demands much more of our energy than what is required to simply be with a good friend we have known for a long time. The stress this creates can shorten our fuse in other areas.

In fact, any kind of change can add stress to our lives, which can make us irritable and tense. Some women, for example, are difficult to live with during their monthly cycle. Why? Because their bodies are changing and they feel difficult. If they don’t get more rest and avoid potentially stressful situations, they are more vulnerable to conflict during this time. Within a few days they are able to handle wonderfully something that they could not handle at all during the time of their physical changes.

The same is true for women who are going through the change of life. Their bodies are undergoing drastic changes, and often middle- aged women find that their bodies can no longer bounce back the way they did before. These physical changes affect some women more than others, but for many, it’s a season of change that can open doors for strife in relationships.

If a woman’s patience level is low and the noise level in her home is high, she may get angry. Things she was quite satisfied with before may suddenly become unacceptable. If her husband does not give her the affection she desires, she may be more easily hurt, and so withdraw and act in ways that her family is not used to. Her need for affection apart from sex may increase during this time. She wants to be held, but nothing more.

In order to avoid conflict during such a stressful change, it helps for a woman to remember that her husband cannot read her mind. She needs to remember that she is changing, but her family is just the same as always. They do not feel the way she does and should not be expected to understand her without some education.

When i was experiencing a change in my life, i started talking to myself, an heart to heart conversation with myself. Do not allow change to disorient you to the point that it causes strife.change

Some people have difficulty when their church or organization undergoes some kind of change. Perhaps the pastor feels that God is leading his church into an international missions outreach program. Some members of his congregation may think it’s great, while others may feel that an inner city outreach program would be better. When people fail to realize that many of their feelings are based on their own opinions and preferences, they can quickly open a door fro strife by vocalizing their disagreement. It’s a mistake to assume that a leader is not following God’s will just because you don’t agree personally with a change he or she makes. This can cause an unbelievable amount of conflict and destruction in a church.

Whenever you are facing changes of any kind, remember the devil will try to take advantage of you. He hopes to catch you off guard so you will let him in without realizing what’s happening.

That’s why, if your workplace, church, or some other organization you are involved with undergoes a change that you dislike, the wise thing to do is to give it some time to see how the change really affects you. Give things a chance to settle. If after the period of waiting you still feel the same way, talk to the person responsible for the change. Once you understand the situation and why the change was made, your entire outlook may change.

If you’ve done this and find that you still can’t be happy with the change, consider leaving, but leave in peace. Do not gossip and complain to others. Do not leave assuming that everyone else is wrong. What they are doing may be right for their business, church, or organization, but not right for you. We are to give one another liberty and not be judgmental.

Another kind of change that can open the door to strife occurs during those times when God is dealing with us. When the Lord is dealing with us on the inside, He intends to bring change on the outside. These changes are designed to bring progress, and satan will always fight progress.

 

Motivation Starter Kit: Part 1

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1. Let Go of the Past

Before you can create a better future, you must let go of the pains in your past. Failing once does not mean you will fail forever. Learn from your history, but don’t let it stand as an obstacle between you and your dreams.

2. Remember Success

Just as important as learning from and overcoming past failure is recalling past success. It doesn’t matter who you are, you have succeeded at something at sometime in your past. Don’t gloss over these moments. Use them to remind you that you can in fact achieve your goals.

3. Realize the Possibilities

It’s possible. The dreams you hold in your heart but push to the back of your mind are within your reach. Accept the fact that you can create a better life. This will serve as the springboard of belief you need to succeed.

4. Dream the Big Dream

In order for dreams and desires to inspire you to action and achievement, they need to be big. If you don’t get excited about what you have planned for the future, you will never find the inspiration you need to change your life. Powerful dreams can move the soul, and when you dream the big dream, you will be driven to make the compelling picture a tangible reality.

5. Thinking Your Way to Change

No matter how bad you want it to happen, change will never result from thinking alone – you must take action. The world is swimming in dreamers, but only those who act on their desires achieve truly remarkable results.

6. A Daily Habit to Begin Today

Set aside at least 30 minutes each night to review your day and plan for the next. It’s a simple way to add an element of control to your life. Also, beginning this habit today will help tremendously when you begin to work toward your exciting and inspiring goals and dreams.

7. Mix It Up

The wrong routine can spell certain doom for your goals and dreams. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, add at least one new step to your daily routine to help break up the pattern. One new activity will set the stage for many more in the future, making it possible for you to break free of any negative routines.

8. A Team Sport

Don’t go at this alone. Achieving a goal or dream requires a team effort. There will be times when you feel like giving up, when you feel like it’s too much to take. One of the surest ways to overcome these small setbacks is to have the support and guidance of your goal partner.

9. Get Excited About What’s to Come

You are on your way to getting everything you have ever wanted! Now is the time to get excited and inspired about what your future holds. Imagine living your ideal life – now make it happen!

10. Raise Your Standards

It’s time to raise your standards. It’s time to expect more out of yourself than anyone else. Accept nothing less than your absolute best in all that you do and you’ll have no problem creating your ideal life. After all, you’d expect nothing less than living the life of your dreams.

Signs That You’re More Empathetic Than You Realize: Being Confident Yet Still Caring About What People Think

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Empathy, the cousin of sympathy, is not so much being able to relate to what someone is feeling as it is actually feeling it as well – and most of the time, we’re completely unaware that it’s happening. We adopt the thoughts and emotions of those around us all the time (i.e. the collective consciousness) but some people just have a stronger response to it than others. Here are a few ways to know you’re more empathetic than you realize, so you can stop driving yourself crazy trying to solve problems that aren’t yours.

1. You deeply care about what other people think, yet at the same time, are very confident. If you’ve been struggling to reconcile the two, consider that it’s not insecurity as much as it is wanting and needing other people to think and feel positively so you don’t pick up on it yourself.

2. You’re the “counselor” of your friends. You always feel responsible for solving other people’s problems, and almost can’t bear to be in the company of someone who seems upset or struggling with at least trying to talk through things or offer them help.

3. You’re often tired for no reason, or at least require a lot of alone time to think through things, process and relax.

4. You overthink as a means of working through emotions that aren’t inherently yours. You find yourself constantly having to put in tons of mental energy to try to get to the root of a problem, often going through it again and again but to no avail, simply not realizing that it was never yours to dissect or heal in the first place.

5. You get upset “for no reason.” You’ll be just going through your day as usual when all of a sudden, a random, strange emotion will come over you and you’ll feel all but paralyzed by it.

6. You’re actually pretty emotionally distant on the surface – and are highly selective of who you give your time and energy to. Though you’re sensitive – and possibly even outgoing! – you are very cautious as to who you spend time with, and who you willingly give your attention to.

7. You respond strongly to your environment. You can almost “chamelionize” to whatever is going on around you – mimicking other people’s idiosyncrasies, or adopting the behaviors and attitudes of whomever you spend a lot of time with.

8. You’re interested in psychology, philosophy or anything else that explains how we behave and why. You realize that the way you think and feel is what creates and constitutes a “good life,” and so any way you can learn do either of those better seems like a noble pursuit.

9. You overthink social interactions more than anything else. The only problems you’ve ever really had in your life have been social or inter-personal. If not that, then your anxiety is always rooted in something to do with your relationship to other people, even if only your perception of it.

10. You’re also very intuitive, simply because you can pick up on people’s micro-expressions. Naturally being aware of body language and small mannerisms gives you tons of insight into how they really think and feel, and sometimes, when we’re geared to pick up on these things, we inadvertently start adopting the feeling that comes with them.

Who Do You Run To When You’re The One Everybody Runs To?

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Who do you cry to when everyone is used to seeing you smile and they have never seen you shed a tear?

They might not understand, they might not get it, they might tell you to be strong and hold yourself together but they don’t know that the tears of someone who does not usually cry flow like a river and they don’t know that it takes much more than just a few comforting words to stop them. How do you expect someone to hold you when they’re used to being held?

Who do you lean on in your times of weakness when everyone counts on your strength to get them through?

They might repeat the same encouraging words you tell them, they might ask you to read the same books you recommended and they might not even think it’s a big deal because they think you will get through it quickly and smoothly. But who can understand that when the person who’s been holding on for so long falls apart, they don’t fall slowly, they don’t fall in pieces, instead; they collapse. They disappear.

Who do you talk to when you feel hopeless when you’re used to being the sound of hope and optimism?

How do you tell people that you don’t feel like being positive and happy and cheerful today, how do you tell people that you have days when you don’t practice what you preach and how can they understand that when you give someone else hope, you’re secretly giving it to yourself because you still don’t know how or where to find it.

Where do you go when you want to run away from the voices in your head?

Do you sit in silence so you can hear them louder? Or do you go where the noise is so you can disturb them? How can you use your mind when it’s misleading and confused? And how can you be logical when your mind is insane?

How can you explain your thoughts to anyone if you can’t even understand them?
Where do you go when you no longer want to follow your heart?
Who will you go to for guidance and advice? Who will you go to for signs and directions? How do you control the one thing you have no control over? How do you learn to ignore the one thing that moves you? How do you kill the one thing that makes you feel alive? How can the one thing that gives you so much joy also give you so much misery?

Who do you run to when the one you really want to run to is running away from you?
Who do you run to when you want to run away from yourself ?

Reasons You Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Ruthlessly Edit Your Life

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People are very judgmental of those who like to “edit” their lives. They accuse them of not being happy in the moment, never being satisfied, being flighty, and so on. While it’s not to say that any one of those things is untrue – it is to say that everybody should take it upon themselves to edit their lives, and while being mindful of the feelings of those involved, still not apologize for pursuing what you truly want.

1. Greatness is a product of practice and commitment – you’re not supposed to get it “right” the first time. Any relationship, project, achievement or endeavor – from how you decorate your house to publish your first book – is a linear process. It’s never a matter of whether or not you get it right the first time, but how willing you are to keep trying.

2. It takes courage to change by your own volition. It takes guts to say “this is not the life I wanted… so I’m going to start over again.” It’s likely that the people who are judgmental of this wish they could do it, or that they had the means to.

3. Settling is the easy way out disguised as the comfortable, “ideal” option. And often, we can confuse the peace and ease and lure of “settling” with what we actually desire.

4. People who edit their lives believe they deserve the lives they want. They believe they deserve loving friends, and happy relationships, and to actualize all of their dreams, even if they have to work really hard to get there. It’s their inherent feeling of being worthy that makes them push forward.

5. It takes intelligence and heart to admit that you weren’t right the first time. Many people avoid changing their lives simply because they don’t want to take the ego hit of feeling as though they were “wrong.”

6. Everything is about evolution, at the end of the day. You will become excellent at what you practice each day – regardless of whether that’s art or gossip or brooding or music. Your life will accumulate to the sum of the little moments – no matter what they’re filled with. You will grow regardless, edit your life so it’s in a direction you actually want.