How to Bolster Self Confidence

By Lesley A Knowles

SUCCESS articles often describe ‘confidence’ as a vital ingredient of success, serenity and happiness. People with conviction will find it easier to accomplish personal objectives.

However, it takes time and a great deal of effort to develop self-esteem, especially in a challenging environment.  

Build your confidence - and make 2016 YOUR year

Go through the following pointers and see how you can apply these in your daily life:

* Make friends but see to it that you have good company. Socialize with colleagues but keep it to a certain point where you respect each other and avoid over-familiarity.

Friendship boosts the confidence of everyone. Likewise, avoid a negative atmosphere. Do not be involved in a situation where you have to fight it out with peers just to stay on top.

This kind of environment is full of people who do not appreciate what others do. It erodes your self-confidence.

* Socialize with other people since it hones your social dexterity.

Yet, refrain from people who may cause negative vibrations for you, because this will only disrupt your efforts for self-improvement.

Shun rumor-mongers, naggers, backstabbers and people who complain too much.

* Be aware of the evolving environment. Remember that change will test your patterns in life. It affects your adaptability and thoughts.

Change is evident and constant. It is quite complicated and leads to undue pressures. Nonetheless, change will eventually make you better and stronger.

* Do not be influenced by all the negative happenings around you. The world is full of pessimism. It is up to you to cast away all this disapproval and put the positive notions on top.

You must learn to cope with all kinds of challenges to beef up your self-confidence.

* It is essential for you to know different skills. Maintain your interest in various aspects of your daily life.

Keep track of developments around you and try to know something about everything. You have to be well-informed of political, social, economic, environmental and lifestyle issues.

Becoming optimistic is your choice. This also holds true for building confidence. It is not a policy, gift or something that is born instantly.

You have to choose and develop confidence. The rule is to make things happen.

Figure out the areas where you need to improve and work on those promptly. You are in control of your goals and values if you manage to develop self-worth.

When you achieve confidence, life will be more pleasant and the road to success will turn out less grueling.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7374076

Kid President’s 25 Reasons To Be Thankful!

Posted by John Lee of YourBestYouEver.net and courtesy of Soulpancake

EVERYONE can benefit from 'counting their blessings' from time to time, especially when life brings challenge and struggle - as it does for all of us.

But it can be hard to truly feel thankful, despite what all the self-help and personal development gurus tell us about the power of gratitude.

Let 'Kid President' show you the way

And it doesn’t have to be anything monumental that troubles you.

Just the general ups and downs of everyday life can be enough, which is why I decided to share the video you can access below, featuring Kid President.

Something of a YouTube phenomenon since one of his earliest offerings - courtesy of the Soulpancake team and entitled, ‘A Pep Talk from Kid President to You’ - he’s always great fun.

In this video, he gives you his 25 (well 26 as it turns out) ‘Awesome Things To Be Thankful For’, which are refreshingly down-to-earth.

No hi-tech gadgets here or pie-in-the-sky ideas. Just the kind of simple and fanciful stuff that makes kids such brilliant observers of what really matters in life.

It’s only a few minutes long and is sure to make you smile. So forget what you’re doing, turn up your sound and click on the link below. I hope you enjoy it!

https://youtu.be/yA5Qpt1JRE4

How To Get Motivated? 8 Ideas that Really Work

By Theresa Ho & pickthebrain.com

LET’S face it.

You are starring at your blank screen. But words are not effortlessly flowing out of your mind onto your screen.

You know that creating content, guest blogging are critical to your business success. 

Get yourself motivated! (pic by freedigitalphotos.net) 

But often you don’t see any results or tangible momentum in your business until a few days, weeks or months later.

When I’m in this slump and feeling unmotivated, here’s what I do:

1. Remind yourself of your ‘Why’!

When you feel like quitting, think about why you started it in the first place. Why is it important to you?

Start with your ‘Why’. As Simon Sinek shares on his TED Talk, get clear on what inspires you to do what you do? People dig the ‘Why’, not the ‘What’.

For me, I remember the time when I lost passion for life and couldn’t get out of bed. It was the worst feeling in the world.

Luckily, my parents saw how unhappy I was and finally really acknowledged it. They told me to do what makes me happy and to get help.

What I realized, though, along my self-discovery journey is that you don’t need anyone’s permission. You need to give yourself the permission.

And nothing is more satisfying than knowing you are in control of getting yourself back in the flow and creating the life you want to experience.

Since then, I am on a mission to help those whose lights have been dimmed to know that they are able to find beauty and purpose again in living out their life on their own terms and not somebody else’s.

This always gets my ass moving, because it reminds me of my purpose and why it is important to me.

2. Do it for your tribe and fans

You have started your journey to do what you love. Along the way, people start to follow and engage with you. You can’t quit now! This is only the beginning!

When I think about my fans and the people who I have been able to touch or make a difference in whatever way, it makes me so happy!

It’s the best feeling in the world.

3. Find inspiration

Besides my fans, I also seek out others who are on the same journey as I am. I feed off their energy and the amazing things they are doing.

I follow the gurus in my field. I watch TED talks. I surf Pick the Brain.com and check out the motivational stories on this site.

This gets my juices flowing, as your determination, resiliency and enthusiasm keeps me going and motivates me to push myself even more.

4. Stick to 'The One'

Whenever I feel unmotivated it’s because I have too much distraction that’s going on, I lack clarity, or I am putting too much pressure on myself to deliver.

You have to get focused again. Choose one goal that is pertinent to your success. Break it down. Start small. Make it easy for you to accomplish it.

So if your goal is to write more and to get an extra five posts out this month. Instead of thinking you have to write every day for three hours.

Just do an hour a day or half an hour day. And do it at the same time, every day at your most productive peak period where your mind is clear if you can.

Once you’ve done it consistently for a week. Increase the time that you feel is right for you.

Each time you complete your task mark your calendar with an X. The key is ‘Don’t break the chain’!

And while you are at it, why not celebrate accomplishing the mini-task and daily habits you’ve set out for yourself along the way?

5. Put on your favorite music playlist

Music does wonders. So create a playlist that gets you motivated and pumped up.

Or if you are lazy use 8tracks or Songza and search for motivational music and ‘Boom’, you are on your way.

6. Share your Goal with People

As human’s we don’t like to lose face when we’ve committed to doing something. So share it with some people who you know have your best interest at heart.

From these people you’ll get support as they will be encouraging you and holding you accountable in a loving way, every step of the way.

7. Shine among the Doubters

This is a bit childish but this fuels me, especially when it is my parents who think I’m insane for quitting my cushy corporate job.

I know I don’t have anything to prove to them or anyone for that matter.

But this fires up my determination to succeed and create a living, doing what I love.

In the end you have got to believe in yourself. And the bonus is shining among those who never believed you could.

8. Mind Your Own Business

This is contradictory to some of the above points. But it is important.

Once you have re-set yourself, where you have found your motivational ‘Mojo’ via any of the above points, it’s time to remove all distractions.

You know what they are. Turn off your phone. Let go of caring about what others think or are doing. It is time to get into your zone and mind your own business.

Tap into your awesomeness. Create and take the inspired action that makes you feel you are living out your purpose.

Theresa Ho is a life coach, a blogger and the founder of Rejuvenate Your Essence.

She believes life is too short to live your life based on others’ expectations and is dedicated in helping people find their essence so that they can live their best lives.

If you like this article check out her Live Mindfully- Find Inspiration in your Job Series, and other inspirational tips by on Facebook.

Article source: http://tiny.cc/aig85x

Pounding In and Pulling Out Nails – with Michael Josephson

Courtesy of Bob Proctor’s ‘Insight of the Day’

WHEN my daughter was confronted with the fact that she had really hurt another child with a mean comment, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize.

That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can’t always make things better. So I told her the parable of Will, a nine-year-old whose father abandoned his mom two years earlier.  

Are you pounding in nails? (Pic by freedigitalphotos.net)

 Will was angry, and he often would lash out at others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, “I see why Dad left you!”

Unable to cope with his outbursts of cruelty, she sent Will to spend the summer with his grandparents.

His grandfather’s strategy to help Will learn self-control was to make him go into the garage and pound a two-inch-long nail into a four-by-four board every time he said a mean and nasty thing.

For a small boy, this was a major task, but he couldn’t return until the nail was all the way in. After about ten trips to the garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words.

Eventually, he even apologized for all the bad things he’d said.

That’s when his grandmother came in. She made him bring in the board filled with nails and told him to pull them all out. This was even harder than pounding them in, but after a huge struggle, he did it.

His grandmother hugged him and said, “I appreciate your apology and, of course, I forgive you because I love you, but I want you to know an apology is like pulling out one of those nails.

“Look at the board. The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. I know your dad put a hole in you, but please don’t put holes in other people; you are better than that.”

A fourth-grade teacher recently told me how she tells this story to her class in the beginning of the semester and uses it throughout the year.

When she comes upon a child saying or doing a mean or unkind thing, she will say, “Did you put a nail in someone?” Then she’ll ask, “Did you take it out?”

She says her students always know what she’s talking about and recognize what they did was wrong, which isn’t always the case if she simply asks the child what happened.

(That usually results in a string of blaming everyone else).

She urges her students not to use the automatic, “That’s all right” after an apology, because usually what was done was not all right and the person saying it, rightfully, doesn’t feel it was all right.

She tells her class to say, “I accept your apology” or, “I forgive you” instead.

The teacher also uses the story to help her kids understand difficult family matters outside of the classroom.

She tells them some people will never take out the nails they’ve pounded into the children, but everyone has the power to pull them out themselves and get on with their life rather than let others rule them.

She told me, “The story is simple, but the message is powerful – especially when reinforced with: “You’re better than that!”

Remember, character counts.

Michael Josephson
www.whatwillmatter.com

Your One Wild and Precious Life

By Linda N Spencer

OVER a year ago, I moved to Europe. This past week, I spoke to one of my dear American friends to learn that she was moving to Europe as well.

She won't be living in the same country as me, but at least we'll be on the same continent. 

Are you leading a  'wild and precious life'?

Over the summer, I sent her a photo I took on the beach where we live in Costa del Sol.

It was a perfect picture with the Mediterranean Sea and the words from Mary Oliver, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

I'm at that certain age when people typically start to evaluate what they've done in their lives. Decades have passed. Children have grown.

As I joked recently with a colleague and friend, this is the time when we start to gain wisdom only to have our bodies begin to fall apart. One begins to assess things.

When my friend told me she was moving to Europe, I was fabulously happy for her. I know that she came to a point in her life where she needed a fresh perspective and she wanted to make a bold choice.

We both had been speaking about it for years, when I lived in New York.

Many of my friends are at that stage in life where they're reflecting back on the path that brought them to a particular point in life.

While many are content, I do have some who want to break free from living in a particular city or country. I have others who want to leave a career after having done it for 20 years.

Still others know the time is coming when they have to re-evaluate if they stay with their spouse and partner. Not everything is meant to be forever.

While I'm happy that my friend will be living on the same continent as I am, and hence, we can hopefully see each other more often, I'm really more content in the fact that she is living a new dream.

What's more, I am delighted that she decided to strike out on the journey - not knowing whatsoever what the path ahead will bring.

It takes an infinite amount of courage and faith in the unknown to do what she's doing. In fact, I'm not sure I would have moved to Europe all by myself if I didn't have my husband.

I'd like to think I would have, but I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not.

But, here's the thing. None of us are promised tomorrow. We're not even promised the next moment in our lives.

Although we think we'll be here tomorrow, next month or ten years from now - there are absolutely no guarantees. The older I grow, the more absolutely precious every moment I'm here becomes.

I have a greater respect for the fragility and temporal joys of life now than I ever did in my 20s.

So, if you find yourself in that place where you're evaluating, here's some advice for you. Jump. Leave every excuse of why you can't or shouldn't.

Do the planning. Make the decision and do it. Life's absolutely too short. You'll never get today ever again. You'll never have this chance again if you don't take it. Don't wait for tomorrow. It may never come.

Yes, you'll have people in your life that will challenge you when say you want to move, finally divorce your partner or change your career.

But, here's what others who have danced to their own tune and I have learned. You'll always have those people. There's always a chorus predicting failure, drama and tragedy.

This has nothing to do with you. It's because they're expressing their own fears and anxieties.

In Mary Oliver's poem, the sentence before her most quoted line about your wild and precious life is this:

"Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?"

© 2015 Linda N. Spencer and "Living For Purpose". All rights reserved.

Please visit the original article - with key links - on my blog at http://lnspencer.com. You will also find other great articles about philanthropy, life and travel.

Please like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/living4purpose and follow me on Twitter at @LNSpencer. Thank you so much!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9196343

Daily Habits of Successful People – with Brian Tracy

Posted by John Lee of YourBestYouEver.net

‘It’s all about routine’. That’s the sub-text of this excellent video by entrepreneur, professional speaker, success expert and best-selling author, Brian Tracy.

  

Personal development expert, Brian Tracy

 And Brian’s well-qualified to comment as someone who pre-dates, by quite a few years, the rise in popularity of concepts such as the ‘Law of Attraction’ and ‘Success Manifestation’.

Yet while many more recent commentators, specialists and ‘gurus’ seem to complicate what are already fairly esoteric ideas, he remains refreshingly clear, practical and down-to-earth.

In this five-minute video, he looks at the role of ‘habits’ in our everyday lives and what we can do to form useful ones, while ridding ourselves of those that are less helpful.

As the title suggests, Brian also offers six of the best to adopt for a healthier, more fulfilling and more successful life – taken from his book, ‘Million Dollar Habits’.

There’s a link, too, that enables you to download, for free, a chapter from another of his works entitled, ‘No Excuses! The Power of Self-Discipline’.

It’s well worth a look. Simply click on the link below to be taken to the original recording:

http://tiny.cc/ea583x

Emotional Buttons, Triggers and Controls

By Violet Sky

"I had no choice!" "It's their fault I feel this way, not mine!" "It's just the way I was raised!" "Why do they always make me feel this way?" "I don't know why I said it, it just came out."

Do you identify with any of these comments? If so, you may want to continue reading.  

Someone pushing YOUR buttons? (Pic courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

 Most of us are familiar with the different sets of circumstances that we know will really upset us in one way or another.

Due to the memories left behind from other situations we have already been through (old baggage) – created when we may not have had the tools we needed to handle them – this 'baggage' may have left behind trauma associated with a similar situation in our past.

The truth is that we ALWAYS have a choice in how we feel about something.

The way our brains work gives us that choice, as our own brain is what we use to control everything about our physical being.

Our brains also have control over the chemicals it releases that match what we feel and how we react to what we feel.

Many of us – for one reason or another – are thinking that we don't have such a conscious control over these things.

Well, I will try to show you how we do, and what can be done about it.

What is an emotional button?

It may start out as simple as a pet peeve, and over time develop into something that really bothers you.

There are many various different degrees of irritation; but once they activate a reaction, they become "buttons" that once pushed are hard to control.

It's like an emotion that hides somewhere in the back of your mind just waiting for a reason to come out and take over.

The reaction also seems to be programmed, because it almost always seems to be the same.

I hear things like, 'I have no choice but to react this way when this happens.' 'I can't change this problem I have.' 'Nothing can fix this.'

These are defeatist and self-sabotaging attitudes, and this way of thinking will not help you.

What can I do about it?

Healing such damage can start by knowing the following truth: "Nothing that is done TO or BY me can affect me traumatically without my permission!"

You always have the CHOICE about how you react to your own feelings and situations when they are triggered or caused.

Our feelings have always come naturally to us as children, and throughout most our lives. Most of the time we learn these emotional reactions by watching someone else react to a similar trigger.

And we learned many of these reactions while we were young. Any new trauma can also encourage us to plant one of these buttons as a form of protection against a similar occurrence in our future.

It takes better teachers than most of us have to help ourselves and others become aware of why human beings were gifted with emotions in the first place, and how to effectively control them with our choices, instead of being controlled by them.

Example: If someone puts a gun to your head and demands something of you, what are your choices? Many may say there isn't one.

Let me help you see them here:

(1) Do what has been demanded of you.

(2) Try to find a way to not be at the end of that barrel (i.e. fight, negotiate, try to disarm them however you can.

Or you can choose to get shot - and even if you choose this one you may still be able to recover from it as long as you didn't lose your head, and I mean that in multiple ways.)

(3) You can even choose to die if that is your wish (though I highly DON'T recommend this option.)

Example: Say you are strapped down into a chair fully bound and your eyes pried open while something is set before you to watch. What choice do you have, right? WRONG!

Our brains are still able to make the choice of whether or not we see what is right in front of us.

I'm sure at this point many of you may know what I mean by some of this, as this is how we get some of our famous sayings. (i.e. How did you miss that, it was right in front of your nose?)

We can create in our minds a whole other world (a fantasy) to draw ourselves into and out of at will, thereby blocking anything else around us.

Another option could be to command your brain to turn off in one way or another (i.e. We can become unconscious, go to sleep, or some other extreme such as death.

Once again I don't recommend that one, but it can be done by thought alone.) Hopefully, you get my point here.

You can even choose to not be afraid if you wish. Or if you are scared you can still not let that fear control you or prevent you from thinking of your options.

The good news is emotions are all TOOLS so you can use your fears to release the adrenalin needed to think at super-fast subconscious speeds.

Your mind has a quite incredible talent for giving you temporarily strengthened abilities in any area you may need in order to save yourself, or to get you into a better situation.

Example: A child gets pinned under a car. The emotional reactive chemicals released in the child from this occurrence kept him from dying instantly.

The emotional tools released in the mother enabled her to flip that car off of her child. How was she able to do that?

Quicker than thought as we know it consciously, her subconscious chooses the option and has her body carry out the action necessary before she really knows consciously what has happened.

She didn't have the time to figure out all the reasons she couldn't do it before the reaction was already done and her child was saved.

The conscious part had to catch up later. I don't doubt one bit that once caught up, her brain released a bunch of other emotions for her to deal with.

That kind of example is what I deem as a "good" button; which is not only possible, but creatable on purpose through either natural means or with training.

For many, many years now our military has been training people to have specifically programmed reactions in their minds and bodies.

Ever hear of the popular reactions of fight, flight, or freeze?

When most of us are faced with something extremely stressful such as in life and death situations, we make this choice without much thought.

Well, these guys have taught their brains to react differently from the common ways so that they might increase their chance to succeed in what they are doing (such as survive).

When such a heightened state of danger has a presence in their minds, they have learned how to behave in a pre-determined manner.

Once the danger has passed, their brain's chemicals are free to return to another state, freeing the emotional tools they need for the next objective to succeed or fail, as they bear the consequences of those choices as they arise.

This way their pre-programmed "buttons" can be triggered or released when they need to be in order to do what they must to succeed in what they do.

Who can fix a bad button?

Many of us, sadly, are not taught how to prevent some trauma buttons from forming from a young enough age to go unscathed in one way or another, so we are left to learn other ways of coping with certain traumas.

But think for a moment, YOU were the one who created your own buttons and triggers, so only YOU can fix them within yourself.

Just the same, you can create good buttons to use at a later time.

We have no idea what may come across our paths, but we do know that we have control over what we do and do not pay attention to, and how we either act or react to what we do.

Where can I learn more?

To read more... See the second part of this article, "What can I do about my emotional triggers?" at: Violet Sky Writings

With Love,

Violet Sky

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7470398

What to Do When Things Don't Seem to Be Going Well - by Dawn Goldberg Shuler

Posted by John Lee of YourBestYouEver.net

If there’s one thing you can guarantee, it’s that life will jump up and bite you in the butt every now and then.

What’s worse, it usually happens when everything’s going pretty well and you’re feeling really positive. So when it happens, how YOU react?  

You CAN turn it around (pic by freedigitalphotos.net)

Do you brush off whatever problem arises and carry on regardless? Or do you soon start to worry? After all, ‘trouble always comes in threes’, doesn't it?!

Whatever your response, you could probably use some extra tools and strategies...

... which is exactly what author, business consultant and coach Dawn Goldberg Shuler has to offer in the excellent article below. Take a look...

WE all have those times when we are in the zone, when it's all going well. We score the big client. We fill our programs.

We get amazing feedback from an article we wrote that tells us we're on the right path. The kids are good, the team won, the tea shop has your favorite tea in, and all the traffic lights are green.

Life is damn good.

And then there are the days where it doesn't go quite so well.

You get letters from the IRS regarding an issue that you've been corresponding with them for months, and when you call, their system is down. (And this is after waiting on hold for 30 minutes.)

Your kid is sick. The thunderstorm caused the electricity to go out, and you lost all your changes.

The marketing call you make falls flat. The hot ‘Yes’ for your program suddenly changes his mind, and no sale.

Life seems to suck.

Unfortunately, those sucky days are a part of life. Yes, in general, for most of us, life is pretty awesome.

But those bad days are called ‘sucky’ for a reason; these situations suck the energy and life out of us, so that all we feel is that situation... that that situation is all there is.

The reality is the situation in front of you (good or bad) is NOT all there is. There is so much more.

But how do you pull yourself out of the miasma of the situation suck?

Here are 6 ways I use and recommend to my clients. And they work!

1. Remember your bigger purpose. What is it that you are here on this earth to do? What is your deep, ‘soul’ purpose?

More than likely, that soul purpose weaves throughout your business, too. At any time, tap into your big, deep, soul purpose.

2. What are you genius at? A la Gay Hendricks in The Big Leap. He talks about your ‘Zone of Genius’, ‘Zone of Excellence’, ‘Zone of Competency’ and ‘Zone of Incompetency’.

(I highly recommend this book - one of my top 3 self-help books.)

Forget about what you're good at... what are you GENIUS at? Write it down. Refer to it. Remind yourself how you are amazing.

3. What are your goals? Three-month, six-month, 12-month goals - for life and business. Write these down. Create goal cards. Design a life map. Play with a goal movie.

What are your goals? What are you moving toward?

4. What are you grateful for? I can get a bit snarky here with myself on really bad days.

Insert sarcastic tone of voice: "I'm grateful for air. I'm grateful I'm alive. I'm grateful I have air conditioning/heat... "

But, after a while, the sarcastic voice goes away and you really do start to remember that you have a lot to be grateful for.

5. What grounds and centers you? Often when I'm having a bad day, I find I'm un-grounded and un-centered, either as the root cause of the bad day or the effect of said day.

I have a list of what grounds and centers me. It's things like a particular playlist on iTunes, incense, an essential oil I can diffuse, going outside, reading, etc.

What’s on your grounding and centering list?

6. Reach out to your girlfriend, spouse/partner, business coach, accountability partner, or mastermind group - or all of the above!

Life is about connection and I believe we are stronger when we're authentic, and even vulnerable. Reach out. Tell someone about your sucky day. Ask for help.

You'll be surprised at how much people are willing to enfold you. (Make sure you have a solid support team!)

Pull in these six tools to turn around a sucky day and realize that life is really damn good.

Want to create powerful content that meets your market's needs? Of course, you do!

Because when you write from your soul, you connect more deeply and successfully with potential clients and your community.

Download your free Writing From Your Soul system at http://www.WritingFromYourSoul.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9159364

6 Ways to Get Back on Track – with Stephanie O'Brien

Posted by John Lee of YourBestYouEver.net

Why do so many people fail to achieve their goals? Have they not formulated them correctly? Are they not sufficiently committed? Maybe their belief is just not strong enough?

Or could it simply that they get ‘knocked off track’ by the many demands of everyday life, such that they lose sight of where they’re headed.  

Picture courtesy of quotesgram.com

 I would guess that the latter is the main issue for most ‘goal-setters’ rather than anything more complicated or difficult to handle.

Which is why I wanted to share the article below, by US author Stephanie O’Brien.

It’s a refreshing down-to-earth and ‘stripped-back’ look at goals and – as the title suggests – how to get back on track.

So over to Stephanie....

ONCE you have a better idea on how you got off track it's time to steer yourself back on track.

(1.) Start with Why

1. Why do you want to accomplish this goal?

2. Why is this important?

3. Who will you impact?

4. How will your life improve?

5. How will other's lives improve?

6. What's at stake if you don't accomplish this goal?

(2.) Slow Down

When we are conquering chaos and regaining focus and control of our goals (and life in general) it is important to remember to slow down.

Take a breather. To get more done, we often go harder and try more. That is actually counterproductive.

It's just as counterproductive as doing a hard workout without eating. To get the most effective workout and have optimal performance you need fuel, aka ‘food’.

To actually accomplish more what you actually need to do is slow down. You could do this by giving yourself a detox day.

(3.) Relish what you have accomplished

We can easily get distracted or beat ourselves up for losing focus. To help you get motivated you need to relish what you have accomplished.

Celebrate the small wins. Don't put off celebrating until you completed your goal 100%. Take time to celebrate accomplishments daily.

(4.) Reassess

This is the time to revisit your goals you wrote in the beginning of the year (or whenever you wrote them down). Review and reassess your goals.

Where did you get off track?

Where did you stay focused?

Is there anything that needs to change?

(5.) Adjust

This goes hand in hand with re-assessing your goals. There may be some things you need to change about your goals.

Do you need to change a deadline?

Do some things not matter anymore because your life or business direction changed?

Is there a goal you would still like to meet, but one that may have to wait?

(6.) Set new goals for the New Year

Successful people start their goals for the next year now. They do not wait until New Year's Eve to set resolutions.

They strategically review, re-assess, and adjust goals to finish the year. They also think of new goals and strategies for next year.

Is there a project you want finished by the end of the year? What will need to change in your current schedule to see that through?

Do you want to take any vacations or go to any conferences next year? What will you do to have the time and money to go?

What needs to be in place to accomplish this?

If you need help gaining clarity on your goals, regaining focus, and getting back on track with your career, life or business goals contact me for a clarity session or check out my coaching packages!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9144607

Don’t Fall to your Stress (or Death!)

By Darren Hardy of ‘Success’ magazine

YOU look down. Below you is a thin tightrope wire, a mere 2 inches thick.

One thousand three hundred and sixty-two feet below that is the unforgiving pavement of the streets of New York City.  

Philippe Petit during his epic tightrope walk

You see them; busy people rushing off to work, school, home wherever they are heading - as you take your first step across the sky.

At first, no one notices you.

“Maybe that’s for the better,” you think. “It’d only add to the pressure.”

But you thought too soon.

A man stops. He looks up and sees you, a speck against the clouds. Your heart rate rises.

This is getting real.

As a crowd gathers, the breeze picks up. It’s colder up here, frigid actually. And more unpredictable.

Instead of blowing from one direction, the gusts come from all around - zig-zagging across your face, tugging at the long bar you carry for balance.

You sway back and forth 110 storeys above the ground, suspended only by the two inches of rope under your feet. “Breathe,” you think. “In. Out. In. Out.”

By now, thousands of people stand below you.

Watching. Stunned, admiring, or waiting… like those who watch a NASCAR race.

Their hearts pound in unison with each step you take - moving across your precarious perch in the sky.

Every step you take brings you an inch closer to your destination, to your dream, but with every step and movement you also face death.

This walk will make you. Or it will end you. And the choice is yours; you get to decide your fate. It all depends on how you handle the stress of the situation.

The onlookers may be cheering or screaming for you to turn around, but you hear none of it. On top of one of the loudest cities in the world and you hear nothing.

Everything is silent as you take the walk of your life.

Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the famous World Trade center towers of New York City.

Philippe Petit was that man.

If you were to rank the most stressful events in your life, it is likely that none of them would come even close to the death-defying walk of Petit.

Petit was never daunted by the challenge of walking between the twin towers in New York City. In fact, the height and magnitude of the towers and the challenge they presented inspired him.

If walking the wire between the towers weren’t stressful enough, the addition of the feat being a secret, and then being pursued by the New York Police as his death-defying walk began certainly added to the stress.

But for Petit, the stress wasn’t a negative thing. It wasn’t an obstacle to overcome; it wasn’t a hindrance; it wasn’t something that could or would prevent him from accomplishing his goal.

In fact, stress was actually on his team. Stress helped build his strength; it kept his composure, heighten his senses and kept him focused on the task at hand.

Stress can be defined as the brain’s response to any demand - any one of them. Of the many, many demands placed on us daily, stress is a possible response.

This means almost anything can trigger a stress response. The question is, does that mean it is bad?

Think about it, when people make demands of you, are they always bad?

They might be unexpected, they might be expected - the brain can respond with stress in either case.

The demands might be daunting, or they might be thrilling. No matter what the demand, it is going to evoke a reaction. How you react, how you handle the demand is the key.

Petit took the demand of walking the high wire above the streets of New York and transformed it into an awe inspiring thing.

As a result of the stress he felt, he accomplished something no one had ever done before or would ever do again.

That is the power of stress. The power to bring you and your performance to new heights.

Maybe not literally like for Petit, but at least figuratively.

Increasingly, researchers are exploring the positive side of stress.

Some believe short-term boosts of it can strengthen the immune system and protect against some diseases of aging like Alzheimer’s by keeping the brain cells working at peak capacity.

People who experience moderate levels of stress before surgery have a better recovery than those with high or low levels, another study showed.

Recently, a study suggested that stress could help prevent breast cancer because it suppresses the production of estrogen.

Next week I will show you how you too can thrive on what you once considered stress (*See links below for ‘Conquer Your Stress', Parts 1 & 2).

We are going to reframe your thinking to harness stress as a tool you can utilize to grow and learn so that you are a top tier performer in every aspect of your life...

...even if you don’t plan to tightrope walk between buildings thousands of feet above the streets of New York City.

P.S. I share more inspiring stories, as well as success insights and tips in my free daily mentoring program. Check it out here: www.DarrenDaily.com

Article source: http://tiny.cc/32tr2x

* Conquer Your Stress, Part 1: http://tiny.cc/b9tr2x

* Conquer Your Stress, Part 2: http://tiny.cc/2cur2x

3 Steps to Peaceful Living – with Barb Schmidt

By John Lee of YourBestYouEver.net

THERE are literally dozens of ways to meditate, from the more traditional methods, like ‘Transcendental’ to the more recent ‘Mindfulness’.

Unfortunately, the stark truth for most people is finding the time to learn, practice and master meditation is a major challenge.  

Barb Schmidt on 'The Inspiration Show'

As a result, the hectic nature of leading a busy and pressured life tends to take over and we grasp at whatever precious moments of peace we can, amid all the hustle.

So it’s always a pleasure to discover techniques that combine simplicity, practicality and economy of time.

Best-selling author, entrepreneur and spiritual teacher, Barb Schmidt, has just such a method – embodied in her book, ‘The Practice’.

And she reveals all in the video interview you can access below, conducted by Natalie Ledwell of the highly successful Mind Movies ‘Vision Board’ software.

During the interview, Barb talks about her own struggles to escape the pressures of an incredibly busy corporate life that earned her four McDonald’s franchises before the age of 30.

She also talks openly about her problems with bulimia and how she came to develop her system of ‘meditation’.

Best of all, she outlines the wonderfully straightforward steps involved, which she uses every day to achieve the kind of ‘peaceful living’ we all crave.

The video’s just 15 minutes long and well worth a look. Click on the link below now to be taken to the original recording:

http://tiny.cc/zx0b2x

Someone May Be Zapping Your Energy

By business consultant, author and personal advisor, Connie H Deutsch

HAVE you ever noticed that when you are with certain people, you feel so alive, so energetic, but when you are with other people, you feel so drained, so tired?

When I was teaching a course in metaphysics, I ran across an obscure term called ‘zapper’. Nowadays, we think of a zapper as an electronic device.

Time to zap those zappers?

The dictionary defines it as (a) an electronic device designed to attract and kill insects, (b) a person who habitually changes channels (as to avoid commercials), or (c) a remote control device used for zapping.

But when I was teaching that course, the term, zapper, was used to define people who drained all your energy, sucking the life force out of you.

One of the things I liked to do with my students was to experiment with metaphysical concepts and discuss the various ways of how we can incorporate spiritual theories into our everyday life.

Having just discovered the zapper concept, I had everyone experiment with it.

I gave them the assignment to make a list of the people who made them feel energetic and the people who made them feel tired.

And, of course, I made my own lists.

The results were amazing. We all discovered that we were surrounded by people who could invigorate us and people who sucked the life force out of us.

If this was just a question of staying away from the zappers and only having friends who made us feel alive, it would be easy to do.

Just start yawning or feeling like your brain was getting fuzzy, and make a strategic retreat. But, like most things in life, that's not easy to do.

Your boss or your teacher could be a zapper and your options for a strategic retreat are limited. It should also be noted that not everyone is affected by the same zappers as you are.

One person could zap your energy but make someone else feel alive, and vice versa.

About the time that I was making these experiments with my students, I had just acquired a new client.

She was beautiful, intelligent, interesting, and had a good sense of humor. But every time I was with her, my energy level went down the drain.

It didn't matter if she called me on the phone or came to my office, the results were the same. I was so exhausted I could have slept for a century.

Eventually, I referred her to someone else because I was always too tired to give her the kind of help she deserved.

Make your own experiment. Spend five minutes next to someone without either of you saying a word and see how you feel.

At the end of those five minutes, a zapper will have a burst of energy and feel great and you'll feel as though you had just run a 25K marathon, ready to collapse from exhaustion.

Connie H. Deutsch is the author of the books:

* Round and Round Goes the Merry-Go-Round: Drugless Therapy for OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

* Whispers of the Soul

* A Slice of Life

* Whispers of the Soul for the Rest of Your Life

* From Where I'm Sitting

* Are You Listening?

* View from the Sidelines

* Reaching for the Brass Ring of Life

* Purple Days and Starry Nights

* Here and There

* And That's How it Goes

* The Counseling Effect

Her website: http://www.conniehdeutsch.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9122352

Self Reminders for When You Feel Like Giving Up

By Tatiana Michelet of Info Self Development.com

FOR many of us, there comes a time in our lives when everything starts to look bleak and pointless and even the smallest of actions hold no significance.

During these dark days, which always defy logic, we feel like giving up and the temptation to do this becomes all the more intense. But, giving up is never the answer!

Whenever you feel like throwing in the towel, here are a few things to remind yourself of and things you can do to change your mindset:

Accept change. Change is an inevitable and natural part of life. That’s why learning to let go of the past and looking forwards is a much better way to spend your energy than resisting change.

Accept that you no longer look like your twenty-year old-self and remember you can still connect to your youthful glow and carefree spirit by loving your natural self, whatever age you are.

Keep busy. If you’re busy, you’ll never have time to overthink things and sabotage your thoughts. Focusing on a goal or work will keep you productive and give you a sense of purpose.

A sense of purpose in life, however great or small, will drive you to keep going.

Failure is not permanent. Mistakes are part of growth and self discovery. Mistakes made you and broke you then they brought you into the present but you are not your mistakes.

Just because you have failed at something right now, does not mean that you won’t succeed at it in the future.

That’s the beauty of fate and free will. Nothing, not even failure, is written in stone. Learn from your mistakes and move on.

Don’t let other people’s opinions affect you. Honesty can come across as brutal but it’s delusional to aspire to please everyone and be all things to all people.

Worrying about the opinions of those who don’t love you and seeking the approval from people for whom you will never be good enough, only brings stress and sadness.

Instead, opt for the feedback of someone who appreciates and stands by you, even when you are at fault.

And remember most people’s opinions are insignificant and don’t matter one bit! Only consider the feelings of people in your life who really matter.

It’s okay to cry. Don’t be afraid to let your frustrations and emotions out in order to make yourself feel better.

Crying is purging old, dark holes and the worn soul and is a natural and necessary part of being human. If you feel like crying, just go with it.

Life is too short to be unhappy. We are only given one chance at living, so why waste it dwelling on all the things we don’t like and remaining in a constant state of unhappiness?

Try to smile and be happy and live in the moment as often as possible.

Travel into your memory archives only briefly to find at least one instance when a nightmare day ended up in a dream come true.

Look around, it’s beautiful. The smallest of joy can be found in the natural living things that surround you.

The next time you feel defeated, as soon as you sense Sneaky Fear stealing your motivation and positive energy, just take a moment to inhale the breeze or merge with sunsets and their beauty.

The fight is not over yet. There is no bar to measure success and no rules about how to achieve it. Remember, it is not over until you give up; you are the one who is in control.

You are still alive and therefore your meeting with great opportunities is still ahead of you. Life is never a straight line so go with the flow and don’t be too hard on yourself.

Know that you are loved. Don’t hesitate to lean on the people who care about you when you are feeling down and like giving up.

Companionship is a great healer and can also be found in animals, in fact many people consider their dog to be their best friend.

Let your faith be bigger than your doubts. Keep reminding yourself that you’ve made it this far and you’ll go even further because life has a plan for you.

Every single person on this planet has a purpose to follow and so do you. You are just as important as the rest of us.

When life’s messes are complicated and overwhelming, a little faith in the universe goes a long way.

Nobody is perfect. To be humane is to have flaws. Else, you’d be whole and called God. You are not expected to excel at everything. Participating is what matters most. Being present.

Article source: http://tiny.cc/oa270x