What I Wish I'd Known

Life coach Meri Har-Gil

By Meri Har-Gil

WHEN I was young, I took many things for granted, like my wrinkle-free skin, the sponge-like way my mind absorbed information and the boundless supply of energy that recharged with each sunrise.

But there were other not-so-good things I took for granted. For example, I assumed that my self-worth hinged on my physical beauty. And I believed that the needs of others always outweighed my own.
If I could go back in time and coach my younger self, here are the five most important pieces of advice I would give her:

1. Don't worry about what other people think of you.

Trust me, nobody will notice if your hair isn't perfect. And it doesn't matter how your mother-in-law thinks you should discipline your children.

Don't let others tell you who you are; you're the only one who can know your heart.

2. Communicate with fewer people on a deeper level.

Learn to appreciate meaningful conversation. Spend an evening getting to know just one person instead of fluttering through a crowd. Speak fewer words, and choose them wisely.

Say what is true, not just what is easy or what people want to hear.

3. Your role as a mother will change over time.

You won't always be playing peek-a-boo and yearning for adult conversation. The time will come when you'll talk as an equal with your adult children.

You'll enjoy this immensely; so don't let Sesame Street burn you out. Your kids won't be kids forever.

4. What's important right now won't always be.

You may be spinning your wheels in daily drudgery or facing decisions that seem monumentally important. Don't think that either the big or small challenges are the end of the world.

Make the best decisions you can, and if you're wrong, you'll learn from your experiences and start over. Your world won't crumble.

5. Take care of your body.

The health decisions you make now will affect you when you're older. You're doing your future self a big favor by keeping trim and active.

Your diligence now means you'll enjoy the benefits of youth longer. When your friends start having hip problems, you'll still be running marathons.

These are just a few pearls of wisdom I've learned over time. What about you? Did life teach you any surprising lessons?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meri_Har-Gil

How to Figure Out What You Really Want

By Tony Mase

SOUNDS simple, right? In order to live a happy and successful life, all you have to figure out what it is that you actually want.

Unfortunately, though, coming up with the answer isn't nearly as simple as it sounds! When asked outright, millions of people can't answer what they truly want.

Figure out what YOU want - and dream BIG

 If you're one of them, you're probably so bogged down in various responsibilities that you never really give any thought to what you want - outside of the traffic on the highway to speed up or the cookies for the bake sale to bake themselves.

By focusing solely on what you HAVE to do, you never think about what you WANT to do. As a result, you wind up completely disconnected from yourself!

That's all about to change, though. As long as you've got some patience, some bravery, and aren't afraid of a little hard work, you can figure out what you want out of life.

Here's how to do it:

1. Make "me time" a priority.

How often do you actually spend some quiet time all by yourself? During "me time", you can get some valuable balance and harmony - both of which will give you more energy to make the most out of your life.

More importantly, though, you'll get to spend some quality time with your inner voice.

By spending some time focusing solely on you - instead of the kids, that big project at work, or all of the dust in your living room - you'll be more in tune with your feelings.

You might be amazed to discover that your feelings have taken a backseat for so long!

2. Give your brain a workout.

It's not enough to sit around and listen to whatever feeling happens to pop into your head. If you really want to discover what you want, you're going to have to dig deep into your brain.

The best way to get started is to have a brainstorming session. Write down all of the things you're good at. Then, write down things that you've done (either recently or in the past) that you loved.

After that, write down the things that you've always wanted to do - but haven't done yet.

If you're having trouble coming up with stuff to write down, let your mind wander for a few minutes. Jot down anything that pops into your mind.

Eventually, your mind will get on the right "path". In fact, you may discover that inspiration comes out of nowhere, right when you least expect it!

3. Dream big.

Whatever happened to the dreams you had as a kid?

OK, so you never grew up and became a racecar driver, but what about all of the other stuff - like climbing Mt. Everest, traveling to a bunch of different countries, or learning how to play the violin?

How did those dreams get lost along the way?

Once you recall all of those dreams, start coming up with new ones.

Ask yourself, "If I didn't have any limitations, what would I do?" Don't be afraid to come up with big answers. In fact, the bigger the better!

The key is to get excited about your life - and excited about all of the possibilities that lay ahead. That way, you won't just know what you want; you'll also be willing to work for it!

Tony Mase is a serious student of the works of Wallace D. Wattles and the publisher of the "How to Get What You Want" ebook by Wallace D. Wattles that reveals the secrets to getting anything you want in life and more!

Grab your copy now at: http://www.howtogetwhatyouwant.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7435295

A Stunning Film on the Power of Gratitude

Post by John Lee

IT'S often been said that 'living a life of gratitude' is the ideal way to achieve true happiness.

Yet even the most cursory glance at the newspapers or TV news can leave you feeling there's little to be grateful for. 

Louie Schwartzberg's stunning, 'Moving Art'

Well, this sense of resignation or even hopelessness is turned completely on its head by the beautiful movie you can access below.

It features a talk by US director, producer and cinematographer, Louie Schwartzberg, at TED in San Francisco.

He introduces his film, 'Moving Art', which includes some truly brilliant time-lapse photography, along with some wonderfully wise words from both a small child and an elderly man.

If you've ever doubted that there's much to be grateful for in our world - especially for those of us fortunate enough to live without conflict and abject suffering - then you really need to see this.

Visually stunning, it's equally uplifting, encouraging and even inspiring as it reminds us of the wonder of nature and the little things we can all do to make life better for everyone.

It's also a perfect antidote to any downbeat TV news.

Check it out. Click on the link below to go to the original recording.

http://youtu.be/gXDMoiEkyuQ

How Words Can Determine Your Destiny - Oprah's Lifeclass

Posted by John Lee

WE all recognize the power of words. As the saying goes, 'The pen is mightier than the sword'. And this applies to all areas of our lives... not least the words we use about ourselves.

Oprah Winfrey presenting her 'Lifeclass' TV series

Everyone has perceptions about themselves, their characteristics, their personal qualities and their abilities.

More often than not, they were 'handed down' to us as children by parents, teachers and others in positions of authority.

We tend to reinforce these perceptions through our own statements, which is when they really start to take root.

Unfortunately, if they're less-than-helpful, this reinforcement can cause terrible upset.

How often have you heard someone say, 'I'm not attractive,' 'I'm not bright', 'I'm terrible with money,' or something similar?

Yet the statement rarely has any true foundation in reality.

It's an issue that's examined with characteristic clarity, warmth and humor by Oprah Winfrey in the excerpt from her Lifeclass TV series that you can access through the link below.

In this edition, she's joined by Pastor Joel Osteen, who offers some great insights into our thinking and the power of our words.

Better still, he has some excellent advice for anyone wishing to make a change.

Take a look. Simply click on the link below:

http://youtu.be/g31vJBaWIv0

'Fortune Favors The Brave: Move Out of Your Comfort Zone' with Brian Tracy

Posted by John Lee

THE need to move out of your 'comfort zone', if you want to achieve more in your life than you already have, is widely accepted.

Yet it seems relatively few have the initial courage and then the staying-power to do so, regardless of how dissatisfied they may be with their current lot.

'Fortune favors the brave,' says Brian Tracy

Well, in this characteristically insightful video, which is just a couple of minutes long, Brian Tracy takes a close-up look at the nature of boldness and how to use it successfully.

What can be achieved when you do so, is perhaps best summed up in the now classic quote from the 19th century writer, Goethe, who stated that:

"The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves, too.

"All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred.

"A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen and meetings and material assistance which no man  could have dreamed would come his way.

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it!

"Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

Brian has plenty of wisdom of his own to impart, too, along with that of great leaders such as General Douglas MacArthur and Frederick the Great.

And he reveals the one quality successful entrepreneurs all share, as discovered by a 12-year study. To find out what it is, just click the link below:

http://youtu.be/K2AgZvVyRSc

Letting Go of People Pleasing

By Victoria Ayres

I heard something powerful recently by author, Eckhart Tolle that said something along the lines of: "Not everybody is going to like you, nor do you need them to like you."

I forget exactly how he worded it, but I had a light bulb moment with that. I had heard that first part before, but never really considered the idea of the second part, that I didn't need anyone to like me.

Life coach Victoria Ayres

It's okay to just relax and be myself without anyone else's approval.

I have been a big time 'people-pleaser' for the majority of my adult life. I would morph what I said and how I acted according to who I was with, and would usually agree with people, so that they'd like me.

I realized not too long ago just how much I was doing this, and just how exhausting it was. I was putting so much pressure on myself to be super nice and have people like me that I began to notice just how fake I was.

I so wanted other people's approval, and yet so many times this inauthenticity would end up pushing them away anyway.

I would prefer to be alone rather than with others because then I wouldn't have to be concerned about putting on this big, exhausting show for people and having them like me.

Your situation may be to a greater or lesser degree than mine, but I do feel like people-pleasing runs pretty rampant with people.

What really has helped me to work through this is to, first of all, just have the awareness of this people-pleasing tendency. By shining the light of awareness on anything, it starts the healing process.

I began to observe myself in action and noticed just how uptight I would get with others, with the exception of a select few who are closest to me.

I then began to practice being truly present when I was with another person, and would practice giving them my full attention rather than focusing on what I was going to say next or how awkward I felt.

This gave them the space to just be and I could relax into the moment with them. If I found my mind beginning to steer away from the present, I would just bring it back.

Taking conscious breaths helps, too, with just staying centered in the moment.

Letting go of people-pleasing means accepting yourself. We don't think that who we naturally are is good enough, so we put on a show.

When there is a desire to have everyone else's approval, it is because we're not accepting ourselves.

When you feel pure love inside for your own being and everyone else's, you realize that everyone is perfect just as they are.

I also came to the conclusion that I would just practice being where I am at with people, without pretending like I'm so perfect.

If they liked it great, and if they didn't then that's fine, too.

What I was doing before certainly didn't do me a whole lot of good. So why not just practice being where I am at with people, and see what that does for me?

So far, no one has run away screaming, and, in fact, my relationships are so much more authentic.

It has helped me to feel more relaxed when I'm around others to just practice being. It's really all about being in acceptance of one's self - all of it, every last, so-called apparent flaw.

When I embrace those things, it's funny how what doesn't serve me just naturally falls away and my inner beauty is allowed to shine through.

Victoria Ayres is a certified life coach and writer. Her services are available via phone, Skype, and in-person.

Visit http://www.VictoriaAyres.com or email her at VictoriaAyres11@gmail.com for more information.

Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/victoriaayres11 and Twitter at #VictoriaAyres11.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7634453