5 Ways to Increase Self-Esteem

“I need to increase my self-esteem” is a statement I hear often from my students. Their belief is that once their self-esteem is higher, they’ll be able to achieve more and become greater successes. - See more at: http://jackcanfield.com/5-ways-to-increase-self-esteem/#sthash.i0BT19oX.dpuf

While it’s true that a high self-esteem can assist you in creating the life you dream of, the mistake most people make is how they think about self-esteem. It’s not a thing to be increased or decreased, although that is the common terminology. Instead, self-esteem is a verb; it’s the process of esteeming yourself.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, esteem means “to set a high value on: regard highly and prize accordingly.” In other words, the process of boosting your self-esteem starts with deciding that you are valuable and treating yourself as such.

•    Believe in yourself.  The first step in creating greater self-esteem is to believe in yourself. It’s your responsibility to take charge of your own self-concept and your beliefs – including belief in your worth, your talent, your abilities, and your potential.

•    Identify 9 major successes.  Research has repeatedly shown that the more you acknowledge your past success, the more confident you become in taking on and successfully accomplishing new ones. A simple way to start this process is to take an inventory of your major success. Divide your life into three time periods – from birth to 15, 16 to 30, and 31 to 45. The list three major successes from each time period.

To really convince yourself that you’re a successful person who can continue to achieve great things, keep going with your list. See if you can identify 100 or more of your life successes.

•    Keep a victory log.  Recall and write down your successes each day. This will log them into your long-term memory, enhancing your self-esteem and self-confidence. Whenever you need a boost of self-confidence, reread what you have written. Keeping and referring to your victory log keeps you focused on your successes instead.

•    Display success symbols.  What you see in your environment has a psychological impact on your moods, attitudes and behavior. Surround yourself with awards, pictures and other objects that remind you of your successes. Create a special place in your home – such as a hallway, shelf or even the top of your refrigerator – to display your symbols. This will subtly program you to see yourself as someone who has consistent successes in life.

•    Keep your agreements.  One of the most commonly overlooked ways to boost self-esteem is to keep your word. Every agreement you make is ultimately to yourself, even those that involve other people. Your brain registers agreements as commitments. If you don’t follow through, you learn to not trust yourself. You lose integrity and faith in your ability to produce a result. Don’t undermine your sense of personal power – keep your commitments.

To understand the importance of esteeming yourself, imagine you were playing poker. If you have 10 chips and I have 200 chips, who do you think will play more conservatively? You will, of course, because the stakes are higher for you. Two losing bets of five chips each would put you out of the game. I, on the other hand, could lose five chips 40 times before I was out.

Your self-esteem is like a stack of poker chips. The higher it is, the more willing and able you are to take the risks that will lead you to greater success. Use the ideas shared in this article to create and maintain the high levels of self-esteem you need to get where you want to be.

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Want my personal guidance? Join me at my Breakthrough to Success training.

You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul®and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

- See more at: http://jackcanfield.com/5-ways-to-increase-self-esteem/#sthash.i0BT19oX.dpuf

How to Deal With Someone Who's Always Looking for a Crisis

Perhaps you know someone who constantly feels that the bottom is about to fall out of life. (Perhaps you're this type yourself.) Running from one emergency to another, these individuals carry out virtually all everyday tasks with a sense of high drama. They’re either late, almost late, or afraid of being late. Situations at work or home mushroom out of control, and they’re constantly letting everyone know just how bad it is. Lengthy phone calls, meetings, or exclamation-filled emails provide all the gory details.
Crisis-prone individuals don’t just like to live in a state of high alert, they seem to relish being called upon to fix all those problems that are causing the crisis. Call them “fixers." They may not be called upon to perform virtual CPRs on their company or friends, but they do seem to rise with unnatural enthusiasm to save the day.

Psychology’s take on the crisis-prone individual is that this combination of behaviors may represent one or more personality disorders. Specifically, according to a chapter in an edited academic book on crisis intervention, psychologists Gina Fusco and Arthur Freeman (2007) believe that people who become crisis-prone patients are in the so-called “Cluster B” of personality disorders, a designation meaning that they represent some combination of borderline, histrionic, psychopathic, and narcissistic trait designations. The crisis-prone person, Fusco and Freeman propose, finds that “waking in the morning and having to cope with life’s daily events is fraught with potential crises and the resulting angst.”
The Cluster B personality disorders represent people who seek if not revel in drama, become worked up over small problems, and tend to see themselves as the centre of their all-too-frenetic universes. Perhaps less understandable is the psychopathic part of the crisis-prone profile. Not every crisis-prone individual is psychopathic, of course. But where being crisis-prone may overlap with being psychopathic is in the tendency to exaggerate, if not lie, about the gravity of an emergency. It’s also possible that the emergency becomes part of the justification that the psychopathic individual has to be ruthless or to take steps to assure that his or her leadership skills are in fact needed to resolve the crisis.
Assuming that we have the diagnosis behind the crisis-prone individual’s personality, the question then becomes one of managing the havoc in everyone else’s life that this such a person can cause. Following from the steps that Fusco and Freeman recommend to reduce symptoms in crisis-prone patients, the best approach is one that works on both cognitions and behavior. Each of the Cluster B personality disorders is potentially amenable to cognitive-behavior therapy, in which clients are helped to see their world in a new light and are reinforced when their behavior starts to change.
Much, of course, depends on the context in which you know this individual (or, indeed, if you are such an individual yourself). At work you’ll face different scenarios than in the home. For crisis-prone co-workers, bosses, or employees, the key is to start by managing your own reactions. It’s all too easy to take on the “sky is falling” mentality of such individuals. They announce that the organization is about to dissolve, that warring factions will kill the company or institution, or that a coming deadline presents a mandate for emergency action.
To handle the crisis-prone individuals at work, instead of taking them at face value, look at the situation objectively and ask whether this is a real or manufactured crisis. If it’s real, then by all means, action will be needed. If it’s manufactured to put this individual at center stage, then keeping your cool will help others see that the problem doesn’t require an immediate solution, and provide a disincentive for the individual to keep pursuing the emergency mentality.
One thing to keep in mind is that some people are drawn to occupations that require the crisis-prone approach. Obviously, if the individual is in emergency management, hedge fund investment, or the news media, for example, responses to crises are part and parcel of the job. Even if this is the case, having insight into the crisis-prone personality can still be of value, and learning some time-management skills might also come in handy.
The sense of self-importance that these occupations reinforce becomes problematic when people carry that entitlement into other contexts, such as close relationships or the family. People in these types of jobs need support and understanding but they also need to learn how to compartmentalize. Carrying your sense of self-importance from the job into your personal life can get old very quickly for a spouse, family member, or friend who can only put up with so much self-absorption.
Being crisis-prone in relationships means that you’re constantly creating drama with your significant other. People with these tendencies tend to look for arguments just to create diversion or stimulation, or perhaps to allow themselves to come to the rescue when things go wrong. The crisis-prone can also become addicted to make up sex. They thrive on emotional highs and lows and get turned on by any emotions, but sex seems a whole lot better to them when it follows an argument.
Dealing with a crisis-prone partner, then, means that you need to be prepared for storm clouds in an otherwise calm sky. When you see a conflict start to take shape, don’t get drawn in. Try to figure out what’s going on with your partner to see if something’s really wrong or if it’s just boredom provoking a need for stimulation. Addressing those needs can subvert the argument altogether. And if it’s you who tends to seek crisis, similarly, try to gain insight into what needs this conflict might fulfil. Makeup sex may be exciting, but it’s better for your relationship if there’s nothing to make up for in the first place.
Whether at work or in relationships, the crisis-prone benefit from an approach that helps them restructure their thoughts and realign their reinforcements. This involves helping to distinguish a real crisis from a manufactured one, and finding rewards from equanimity rather than upheaval.
You may not always have a choice about which experiences become crises, but you can choose how you respond. Even individuals whose personality predisposes them to seek the adrenaline rush or sense of power from a crisis can gain learn to gain fulfilment from a life that’s less emotionally charged but more rewarding in the long run.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201410/how-deal-someone-whos-always-looking-crisis

 

3 Ways That Mindfulness Enhances Performance

Enhanced performance in the workplace may be achieved by intensive training sessions - but neuroscience is showing that some time alone may be just as effective.

Of course I am not talking about functional training like learning how to write a report properly or process an insurance claim efficiently, but in more general terms about clarity of thought, decision making and handling pressure.

Neuroscience is showing how increased self-awareness can help us in many aspects of performance. Mindfulness is essentially a state of being actively focused on the present and major organisations like Google are taking notice: its 'Search Inside Yourself' program focuses on helping its staff members develop emotional intelligence through mindfulness.

Many of the benefits of meditation and mindfulness have been known for centuries. This knowledge is now entering the mainstream because advances in neuroscience enable researchers to better monitor brain activity and 'prove' these beneficial physical effects on the brain.

Following are three key ways mindfulness can help you in and out of the workplace.

Improve attention and focus

You don't have to suffer from ADD or a mental disorder to lack attention and focus. It happens to us all at times and it can have an incredibly negative impact on performance.

The process of meditation, where we clear our mind of its clutter and start to focus on the present through our 'breathing' for instance, is like training the mind. The mindfulness that results from this helps us bring our thoughts under control better and prevent them from straying; it may also help to minimise emotional distractions, because part of the meditation process is to recognise and acknowledge the emotions we are feeling and to let them go.

The process of becoming more aware of yourself and observing your thoughts and feelings will help you maintain self-control and self-regulate your actions, reducing the harmful effects of chaotic, distracting or stressful situations and bringing focus back to them. You will learn to recognise the signals when your mind is beginning to stray and then, through increased awareness, be able to correct this behaviour.

Lower stress and negative emotions

Neuroscience is awash with studies showing the calming effect of meditation on the brain and the lowering of stress levels.

Of course, the more that you practice the better you are able to control stress. With enough embedding of the techniques it will become second nature and, when faced with a potentially high stress situation, you will find yourself able to automatically slow down your breathing and routinely control your own response to the situation better.

This starts with the awareness of how you normally react in such situations - your pre-programmed behaviour if you like; practicing meditation will help you 'switch' to another mode when a similar situation arises, helping you to 'rewire' your brain to respond less emotionally and to recover faster from upsetting emotions.

David Vago of the BWH Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory at Harvard Medical School says:

"Through continued practice, the person can develop a psychological distance from any negative thoughts and can inhibit natural impulses that constantly fuel bad habits."

Improves decision-making and leadership

Mindfulness has the ability to strengthen the meta-cognitive, or executive functions, in the brain. The neural pathways that control our 'higher thinking' qualities are made stronger by meditation, and new pathways are created. This positively impacts our ability to make better decisions, because we are less likely to fall back on automatic, emotional, irrational responses that stem from the more primitive parts of our brain.

This is especially useful for leaders, who must often make quick and important decisions in times of upheaval and stress - the mental clarity and sense of control that comes from mindfulness is a valuable asset at these times.

One of the many advantages of learning mindfulness is that you don't have to spend months in a temple or monastery learning it. It will take time, but it can be learnt and practiced at home, and you will feel many of the benefits of meditating for 10 to 20 minutes a day almost immediately.

https://ezinearticles.com/?3-Ways-That-Mindfulness-Enhances-Performance&id=8662415

The Greatest Thought You Can Have

Visualize the best, be the best, and have a great attitude, and ultimately you really do become what you want to be. I know it has been heard and read many times before, but when considering the greatest thought you can have, it is not enough. What is enough though is when you make the action into a genuinely good habit that you live every single day, night and hour there is to live.

Once, I read a book by Uell Stanley Andersen or U. S. Andersen called "Success-Cybernetics", it was a cute, little seemingly meaningless motivational book with one little poignant question: "Is not winning just an attitude?" That one question impressed me because of the simple answer that question had to it and that answer was "yes". Because, no matter how many times you seemingly fail, when you let the failure become permanent, that is when it becomes more than an attitude. It is the same with permanent winning only on the other side of "permanent failure". Everything comes down to an attitude. Genuine loss and genuine winning are attitudes.

The greatest and the worst thought you can have are within an attitude. If they were not, and everything were external and reactive, then I could say differently and mean it. But, winning and losing all does come down to an attitude. So, when I say "yes" to the question above, it is not just optimism or reverse pessimism, it is reality for me. I see the next action to take after loss or win, the actual winnings and losses do not matter, but my attitude does even more than both.

The best attitude about everything is the biggest advantage of all. For those who depend on outer circumstances too much, it is the ultimate hidden advantage to them in life. But, that is the ultimate open secret of the "genuine winners club", having the best attitude about everything and letting there be a next time to succeed genuinely, instead of putting everything into one effort or faking it until you really do make it. Take it or leave it, to be real all the way through is the most powerful thing you can do win or lose because permanent losses come through a viewpoint and not a reality.

So, I end with part of a rather familiar story out of the Napoleon Hill book "Think And Grow Rich" about Edwin C. Barnes: "His appearance may have been that of a pauper, but his thoughts were that of a king." I could say more than that, but what is an attitude to you? Go find out.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Greatest-Thought-You-Can-Have&id=8699937

The Importance of Rest and Sleep on Concentration

Getting enough rest and sleep is key to overall function. Studies have concluded that most people are not getting enough meaningful rest and sleep. Proper rest is necessary as during this time, the body goes into a sort of reparative state. It reboots itself so that a person can function at optimum capacity.

Most people are not getting enough rest and sleep. This can potentially cause major health issues such as lowered immune system, obesity, heart disease, etc. When a person does not get adequate amounts of proper sleep and rest, it more than just a matter of feeling tired. It can affect a person's ability to concentrate.

More scientific studies are being done in order to get a more accurate measure of how lack of sleep can affect concentration. It is estimated that in order for a person to have adequate concentration abilities, adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep and for adolescents between the ages of 11 and 22, nine and a half hours of sleep are needed. When a person gets less than 6 hours of sleep, the ability to concentrate is significantly reduced. This lack of concentration not only affects things like being able to remember what tasks need to be performed at work or school, and remembering which items a person may need from the grocery store.

Lack of rest and sleep affects a person's ability to react in potentially dangerous situations. If someone has not had adequate rest, he or she may not be able to drive a car properly. A person who operates dangerous machinery for a living may lose the ability to concentrate, thus putting not only himself or herself at risk, but also risks the safety of other employees. If your healthcare professional is functioning on inadequate amounts of sleep and rest, he may render an incorrect diagnosis which puts you at risk for receiving unnecessary testing, procedures, or medications. It also puts that medical professional at risk of losing licensure due to negligent and improper treatment of his patients. Similar concerns arise with those who are employed in the transportation industry. If an airline pilot, train conductor, or taxi driver is not fully rested, he or she and the company for which they are employed could be held liable for negligence.

Getting adequate rest and sleep is not just about feeling good, though feeling good is certainly a sign that a person is well-rested. It also has to do with being able to function and concentrate on varying tasks at optimal levels throughout the day.

There are some suggestions from health professionals on getting to sleep, getting quality sleep and even getting back to sleep in the middle of he night. Some may seem obvious but if we aren't consciously aware of these causes, effects can be damaging to your mental focus.

Helpful tasks to sleep better are keeping a regular bedtime, consuming dairy products where warm is better, reading dull material, sleeping in absolute darkness, maintaining quiet and more detail is available from other sources. Don'ts include food additives, avoiding protein and sweeteners.

https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Rest-and-Sleep-on-Concentration&id=8744009

The Key to a Better Life - Controlling Your Mind

Everything that passes through your mind has an effect on your happiness, how you feel, your optimism, your overall success, and your general outlook on life. These thoughts are of two kinds: focussed and wandering. And associated with them are what is called the focussed mode and the wandering mode (which is usually referred to as the default mode). In the default mode your thoughts change quickly, are not focussed, usually have no order, and for the most part are not under your control. This article will show you that the focussed mode is much more desirable for happiness and contentment.

The Focussed Mode and the Default Mode

In the focussed mode your thoughts are under your control. They are directed at something you are interested in and they are concentrated on a particular topic or subject. When you are in this mode you are not worried about anything. You are preoccupied, and your attention is directed so intently you feel no stress. You are occupied with events of the present.

In the default mode, on the other hand, your thoughts "float" through your mind, with most of them directed at the past or future. You think about mistakes you made in the past, things you should have done differently. You also worry about the future, and questions like "What if... ?" start to form. In general, most of your thoughts in the default mode are negative, and if not controlled will eventually lead to anxiety, depression, and loss of sleep. Strangely, the default mode is, to a large degree, built into us early on, and it can become a habit that is hard to break.

For people who spend a lot of time in the default mode (a lot of time with their mind wandering), life can get boring and uninteresting. They lose their joy of living and drag themselves through each day. In the default mode we frequently don't know what we want, and when we get it, we immediately want something new. We're never satisfied. So it's important to get out of the default mode before it starts to overcome you.

How to Achieve the Focussed Mode

To get out of the default mode and into the focussed mode usually takes a serious effort. Of course you'll never be able to stay in the focussed mode all the time, and you shouldn't strive for this. All you really need is to be there most of the time. And to do this you have to concentrate on the present, and forget the past and future (as much as possible). This requires what is called attention training, which is training your brain to focus on the present. When your mind wanders to the past or future, or to negative thoughts in general, bring it back to the present as quickly as possible. Try to see how long you can stay in the focussed mode. In particular, try to gradually increase it.

There are, of course, many things that can help you with this. Two of the main things you want to achieve with it are joy and contentment. Everyone wants to be happy and experience joy, and at the same time they want contentment. Think of the main things that bring you joy. Make a list of them, and when you find yourself moving into the default mode, think about the things that bring you joy and contentment. Go over them in your mind.

Gratitude and Acceptance

Gratitude and acceptance are two of the major things that bring you joy and contentment. So it's important to concentrate on them. As in the case of joy, make up a gratitude list (it will probably be longer than your joy list). Think of everything you are grateful for. This should include such things as your family, financial situation, your health, your job security, your friends and so on. And even if some of these things are not as great as you would like them to be, it's important to remember that they could be worse. Most people - particularly when they are young - take their health for granted. But think about how you would feel if you lost it. We almost never think about the air we breathe. But many people struggle for air every day. And if you're young you likely assume cancer and heart disease affect only the old. But of course this isn't always the case.

Acceptance is also critical. It's important to have goals and motivation, but if you're never content you've got a problem. You may be postponing joy and happiness, and you may never get it. The idea is to accept what can't be changed, and put your energy into what can be changed. You have to learn to recognize each of these cases and take appropriate action. Life is too short to be fighting things that cannot possibly be changed (or have little chance of change). Non-acceptance can be hard on your health. Finally, it's particularly important to remember that this moment in your life will never come again. So enjoy it.

In conclusion remember that your thoughts have a lot to do with your happiness and health throughout your life, and it is important to control them. Stay away from the default mode as much as possible, and the way to do this is to concentrate on gratitude and acceptance. This will lead to greater joy and contentment.

https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Key-to-a-Better-Life---Controlling-Your-Mind&id=8750021

Get Back on Your Feet and Recover From a Serious Setback

Most of us experience setbacks at some point in our lives. As a child we may have been taught to handle some rejection and disappointment by our parents or teachers. We may have been required to share toys, time, other people's attention and have, as a consequence discovered that not everything goes our way all of the time. We will have hopefully learned not to take those knocks too personally, to bounce back, to be resilient and recover, accepting this as a part of life and of co-existing successfully with other people.

But some setbacks can seriously affect children and as such their coping strategies become compromised by the need to protect themselves from future harm. Not being picked for the school team, falling out with friends from their class or neighbourhood or being criticised and called hurtful names may seem minor but those experiences, compounded with subsequent hurts can significantly impact on a person's confidence and self-esteem.

Even adults who appear to be well-balanced and confident, who may have enjoyed a happy, supportive childhood may find that setbacks leave them feeling unable to cope, make rational decisions and recover. The problem is these negative experiences often affect our thinking, making us feel incredibly vulnerable and exposed. Yet the times when setbacks occur are often the very times that require us to be focussed and engage in serious consideration of our options with good decision-making abilities.

Those times may need us to be receptive to external advice and guidance; we may need therapy to help us heal old wounds and recover our self-esteem, composure and confidence. We may need to seek help with legal or financial matters to support decisions that need to be made.

Let's look at some ways to help you get back on your feet and recover from a serious setback. Divorce, redundancy, bereavement, infertility, discrimination, criminal injury are just some examples of the ways that life can throw us a curved ball and knock us down.

Here are some ways to help you get back on your feet and recover from a serious setback:

- Find ways to work on your personal self-esteem. Include activities that you do well, that make you feel good. Perhaps introduce sport, exercise, a walking club, hobbies that are stimulating and enjoyable but which also introduce you to other like-minded and supportive people. Classes and volunteer work can be fun, satisfying and enjoyable.

- Take time to nurture and build good relationships with family and friends. Share how you're feeling about your situation, let them help and be supportive. Establish good channels of communication and keep in regular touch with your support network. You may discover that your relationships benefit as your channels of communication improve.

- Focus on what can be changed. It can become a habit to stress and agonise over impossible situations and the harm they've done but it's an energy and time-wasting action. Focus your energy on looking at ways that you can improve your situation, on what needs to happen and the actions that you need to take, the expertise you may need to introduce, the strengths and skills that are needed either from you or from others.

- Take time to appreciate what this situation has taught you. There are often valuable lessons to be learned from a setback and those lessons are often a significant part of the recovery process. Learn from your reflections; it may be that you're doing too much, need help, are perhaps moving in the wrong direction. It may even be that you need to learn patience and become receptive to attracting new and better opportunities that are just around the corner.

Sometimes setbacks introduce unexpected opportunities and direction into our lives or enable us to appreciate what we already have; the people, quality of life, possessions that are typically accepted as the norm.

Hypnotherapy and counselling can enable us to get back on our feet by gaining an understanding of what has happened to us, restore our confidence in our ability to cope with future challenges and gain a positive new perspective with which to explore the potential for opening new doors and opportunities.

https://livetosucceed4ever.blogspot.com/2014/10/get-back-on-your-feet-and-recover-from.html

How To Develop Emotional Flexibility

Since ancient times spiritual teachers have stated that the key to life is to live without fear. And that's exactly what you did when you were born.

Not because you didn't have the responsibilities you have now (although of course, those make life more challenging), but because you were born fearless.

You expected life to bring you what you needed or wanted without doubt or hesitation: love, food, support, and new experiences. The sense of lack and fear started either when your basic needs weren't met or when you realized that you were expected to be and behave a certain way to get what you wanted. In other words, your own expectations were crushed by those of others.

As a consequence, your sense of self was overpowered by your sense of otherness: the internal voices of parents and caretakers that maintain those old beliefs and fears, leading you to react to life impulsively, in stress mode, depleting your energy and giving up on your dreams, as if you didn't have a choice.

Or a will.

Or creative power.

Or self-love.

The problem is that when your sense of otherness rules your life, YOU get stuck in old patterns and belief systems that don't even belong to you and don't really serve you either. To recover and strengthen your sense of self you must develop the emotional flexibility that allows you to make conscious choices according to your needs and desires, instead of repeating the same old patterns of thought that yield the too familiar results.

How do you do that? Well, you can't develop emotional flexibility if you are not aware of your emotions or where they come from. So a key ingredient here is getting to know your emotional terrain. Then you can discern between what is truly yours and what you've acquired out of habit or through the perception of others-the fears that hold you back. The process is threefold:

1. Explore and understand your emotional terrain to stop blindly believing your fears;
2. Choose new beliefs that resonate with who you are and what you want now;
3. Take action to establish new habits and reinforce a more authentic self-perception.

This is obviously not a one-time deal; it's a process that requires perseverance and determination, but since your reality is a reflection of your inner world, it is oh so worth the effort!

Marilyn vos Savant, an author who was listed on the Guinness Book of World Records under "Highest IQ," was once asked the question: "What is the difference between thinking and feeling?" To which she replied:

"Feeling is what you get for thinking the way you do."

Wise words indeed! So if you want to develop emotional freedom and diminish that dis-empowering internal self-talk that prevents you from reaching your dreams and creating a life you LOVE, contact me today and start turning things around!

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Develop-Emotional-Flexibility&id=8733503

Meditation Tips and Myths

Myth 1: I Don't Have Time to Meditate

In this recent study, just twelve minutes of meditation a day helps reduce depressive symptoms and also showed "improvement in stress-induced cellular aging." Anti-aging and decreased depressive symptoms for just twelve minutes a day!

I am a meditation teacher, so I have to find time for meditation. I realize other women's schedules may be very different. So when I need to recommend a meditation exercise to an extremely busy client, I use a litmus test: could my sister find time for that?

My sister has two young boys under the age of three and lives in New York City. (Just thinking about New York City makes me busy!) If she sat down to meditate for twelve minutes, she would fall asleep. Asking someone with her schedule to meditate even for twelve minutes may be unreasonable; but asking her to do it while breast-feeding, or before she starts her weekly get-away/work-out at the gym is possible!

Myth 2: Meditation Is for Spiritual People

Most meditation styles have roots in a type of spiritual practice. For instance, the method used in the study mentioned above is a Yogic meditation with roots in Hinduism. However, like most meditation practices, it requires no connection to the spiritual tradition which started it.

For those seeking meditation styles with no spiritual roots, try Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction (MBSR) started in 1979 by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a Boston-based MD. He put mindfulness techniques through scientific testing and created a system for health care practitioners to learn so they could apply the benefits of meditation to their patients.

Myth 3: Meditation Is Hard-It Means I Have to Stop Thinking

This is the most damaging myth I hear from clients, many of whom say they "can't meditate" because they "can't stop thinking." This is akin to saying, "I can't go into the ocean because there are waves." Our thoughts are like the waves of the ocean.

They will always be there. Ideally, with meditation practice, you can learn to swim in the waves and enjoy them!

The peace people find in meditation comes from being able to remain centered, even if thoughts and emotions are raging all around them. The present moment is always peaceful. However, it takes some degree of focusing power to stay in the present moment. Meditation is simply building up your focus stamina, just as running builds your lung capacity.

When you have a certain degree of focus stamina developed, you will experience the benefits of meditation on and off the meditation mat. Just like building a muscle, it just starts with the first step.

If you want to meditate but aren't sure, start today with this simple meditation method.

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https://ezinearticles.com/?Meditation-Tips-and-Myths&id=8722961

6 Tips to Building Resilience

Whilst some people are born with an abundance of resilience, for those who are not it is a behaviour that can be developed. As with anything worthwhile it takes practice and patience.

Here are my top 6 tips for building resilience:

1- Develop Self Esteem - Instead of looking at the negative and things that have not gone as well as you would have liked, write a list of all of your accomplishments, your strengths and what people love about you. Focus on what you are good at.

2 - Find your Passion - The word passion can be used in several contexts. Sexual passion that you feel towards another, it is deeper than lust. Total joy... and enthusiasm, or even the opposite total anger. We are looking at total joy, a strong emotive response that makes you happy, which can include sexual passion. It is what wakes you up in the morning and keeps you awake at night. Here are 3 tips to help find your passion:Here are 3 tips to help find your passion:

Brainstorm - What do you love to do, what would you do even if you didn't get paid, what makes you feel like nothing else exists, where you are completely in your element?

Write a list - What did you always dream of doing, what makes you happy, what did you stop doing that left a hole in your life?

Make a plan - How can you incorporate more of what you love into your life? It does not have to be fulltime, but how can you make it happen, where can you free up time?

3 - Embrace Change - Remember life is dynamic and without change you would still be in your cot sucking a dummy. Look for the positive, it may be hard initially, but there will always be something.

4- Nurture yourself - Remember that short term discomfort gives long term satisfaction. The 30 minute sleep in feels great at the time, but later in the day guilt creeps in for not having gone on that walk. Whereas if you push through the discomfort as soon as you are out the door it disappears and later in the day when you recall the walk, there is no guilt only gratitude that you started the day in a positive way.

5 - Take Steps to Solve Problems - What is it that you are not happy with, what do you want to change, what can you change. Remember it is you that we are talking about here, trying to change someone else is an exercise in futility and will only add to your angst.

6 - Never be afraid to ask for help - Whether it is a friend or colleague, maybe a coach. If you are not managing to tick the boxes, get help. After all don't we all deserve a rich and meaningful life?

https://livetosucceed4ever.blogspot.com/2014/10/6-tips-to-building-resilience.html

How To Stage A Comeback And Reinvent Your Life

What is life? Is life simply breathing, having your body functioning? Are you alive simply because you woke up this morning?

Are you living or existing? One of the definitions of existing is: "To live at a minimal level." You could have woke up this morning, have everything functioning(bodily), but you may be merely existing, just getting by.

My spiritual teacher, The Hon. Louis Farrakhan, says life is "activity in accord with your divine nature and purpose." So, we want to live a purpose filled life and not just living at a minimal level being dictated by everything and everybody.

Change your mind... change your life!

"Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2

18 years ago I staged a major reinvention of my life. I was at a critically low point and seemed hopeless to do anything different. What follows is the steps I took to stage this reinvention of my life.

***WARNING***: When you step out to change/reinvent your life some may not understand, some may think you are acting funny, some may try to dissuade you, some may walk away or you may have to walk away from some, some may say hurtful things. But, if you can stay strong through it all the fruits of your change will silence the critics.

*****

Dissatisfaction/tired of present circumstances

When we hit rock bottom in life we have no where to go but up. You don't necessarily have to wait till you hit rock bottom to reinvent/change, but there must be a total dissatisfaction with your present standing that creates the mindset that you have no option but to change. When you become tired of your present circumstances whether financial, relationship, health, career, spiritual, etc the seed for change is right there.

Desire/Hunger for change

Next, now that you are dissatisfied with your present standing in life there must accompany that thought the desire to change. You can spend the rest of your days being dissatisfied with your life and that won't change anything. But when you find a deep hunger to move from point A to point B we have moved from complaint to making moves to correct whatever ails you.

Building the will for change/purpose

The Hon. Louis Farrakhan teaches that the power to will is the actual power of God in a human being. He further defines will as, "The power of control that the mind has over it's own actions." There is nothing more powerful than a made up mind. Seeing is believing, so see in your mind the ultimate state of your reinvention and then go to work in making it reality. Why do you want to change? Are you changing for others, for him or her? Or, are you doing this totally for you and you alone? Your purpose for change, if it is right, will create in you a strong will that gives you the ability to change.

Change is hard/consistency

Finally, we must recognize that change is not easy. Change is hard. If you have been going a certain course for a while it might take some time to create the lasting change you desire. It is said that it takes "at least" 21 days to break a habit or create a new habit. If the change you are seeking doesn't come when you think it should or even if you have set backs on the journey DON'T despair! Keep going! Stay consistently working to do something toward your reinvention of self. Even if it is a small step 10% of something beats 100% nothing.

You have been given the ability to choose, so choose wisely and change your life to one that will make you completely happy.

Thank you for reading these few words!

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Stage-A-Comeback-And-Reinvent-Your-Life&id=8738747

5 Sure Ways To Attract More Money And Expand Your Financial Abundance

Wealth never happens by chance. It always begins with a clear goal in mind! Only when you are specific about how much wealth you want to create, then you will come with a practical plan to execute it. No matter where you are now financially, any target is possible as long as you use the right strategy. Below are some of the reasons why people fail financially:

- Not knowing how to manage, maintain and increase their wealth.

- Always find themselves broke because of poor financial decision

- Negative thoughts and beliefs associated with money that prevents them from attracting more wealth.

If you are facing similar challenges mentioned above, then read on because I am going to share with you how you can take immediate control of your own financial destiny, attracting more money into your life and start expanding your financial abundance today.

1) Re-program your mind to attract more money to expand your financial abundance

Re-examine the negative feelings that you had around money. Start by answering few of the questions below:

1) What are the negative beliefs that I have around money and rich people?

2) What will happen if I have more money?

3) What are the other beliefs or associations that I have about money?

Next, challenge each of the negative beliefs by asking:

"Is this belief true?

"Is there any counter example that shows otherwise?"

Finally, write down all the new empowering beliefs to replace the old ones. Read them out loud every time and let the positive words sink into your subconscious mind.

Remember that the block to wealth is in your own mind. Destroy that block by equipping yourself with a new set of empowering money belief system and you are on your way towards financial abundance.

2) Increase your ability to earn more income than ever before

Adding more value to other people's life is the key to increase your income and boost your financial well-being. You need to devise a way to consistently add real value to people's lives and you will prosper.

You can increase your ability to earn more by expanding your knowledge, key skills, and your ability to give more. When you do so, people will start to pay you more of what you do.

3) Maintain, accumulate and grow your wealth

Always spend less than you earn, and then invest the difference. Pick a specific percentage of your income that you will invest up front every month.

Next, develop your own financial freedom plan to track and manage your cash flow. Identify to eliminate all unnecessary expenses and learn how to grow your investment by consulting professionals. Besides, it is crucial to equip yourself with the basic investment and financial knowledge to improve your financial decision-making skills in the future. Without a clear-cut financial plan, you will eventually fail financially.

4) Manage and learn to protect your wealth from the authority and creditors

There is no use working hard to build your personal fortune only to see it all taken away from you. Many people who have taken decades to build their wealth only to see it wiped out by unforeseen circumstances such as accident, illnesses, and unexpected law suit.

Start engaging professionals such as lawyers, insurance advisors and accountants to protect your assets from potential creditors and government who may take away a big chunk of your wealth through a whole range of taxes that you may not have even heard about. 

5) Enjoy your wealth

True wealth is an emotion. It is a sense of absolute abundance. Therefore, don't forget to reward yourself along the journey. This is to train your brain so that it is thought that earning money is an exciting and rewarding journey.

Create a reward plan and start the process of linking the feeling of pleasure and excitement to financial success. Count your success and celebrate them with joy no matter how small the progress is.

Let me tell you this: changing your beliefs about money and mastering your finances can be an incredibly rewarding experience in life. So, commit yourself now and begin your wealth journey today.

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Sure-Ways-To-Attract-More-Money-And-Expand-Your-Financial-Abundance&id=8744666

5 Surefire Ways to Maximize Your Life, Starting This Morning

Many of us have heard the adage, “How you spend your day, is how you spend your life.”  I believe it’s even more micro than that. How you spend the first two hours of your day will determine how you live your life and how productive that life will be.

Giving yourself time in the morning to put yourself in an optimal physical and mental state is equivalent to putting your oxygen mask on first. You can’t help others or thrive until your needs are met first. Here are five easy-but-can't-fail steps for the best start to the rest of your life, every day.

1. Choose not to “snooze.” Anytime you snooze, it’s a negative reaction. You’re losing out on your first commitment to yourself and that sets a bad tone for the rest of your day.

Place your alarm on the other side of the room and start your day off with a victory lap by waking-up when you promised yourself you would. While this may seem small, beginning your day with a victory rather than a loss will have a profound impact on the following 16 hours.

2. Read your affirmations. 

Affirmations are positive, powerful statements you make to put yourself in the right frame of mind. An example of an affirmation to you can use is: “I am reborn today – yesterday does not matter. I am as good as what I learn, what I create, who I influence and what I inspire today.”

Or, you can take an example from then 4-year-old Jessica whose morning affirmations went viral. We have between 45,000 and 51,000 thoughts a day. Choose to have your first thoughts, every morning, put you into the best frame of mind for a rewarding life.

3. Open your mind by opening a book. Reading in the morning is the most important step you can take to keep your mind open, observant and ready to learn.

As an individual, and especially as an entrepreneur, nothing is more important than learning and getting better, so don't wait until nighttime to focus on your most important objective.

Try a book that’s geared to helping you solve a personal or professional challenge. That will acclimate your mind to thinking through problems, which is a powerfully beneficial habit to form. It is especially useful right before you start your day (which will invariably have its share of challenges).

4. Exercise to thrive. 

It’s simply not true that exercise is the key to weight loss. Instead of relegating exercise to a means (for weight loss), think of it as the destination.

There are three key reasons regular exercise is a smart business strategy.

First, exercise brings oxygen to your brain, even if you exercise for only 20 minutes. Second, research shows that moderate aerobic exercise can improve your mood for up to 12 hours. Third, exercise is another great opportunity to learn. Listen to an enriching podcast or an educational audiotape while you’re working out.

5. Refuel to feel optimal. What you put into your body to start the day is integral to how you’re going to feel the rest of the day. While opting for a bagel or donut on occasion is something we’re all prone to do, you’ll be amazed how you feel when you switch it up for something that has a well-rounded mix of healthy fats, plant-based protein and complex carbohydrates.

Blending together a smoothie only takes about as much time toasting a slice of bread and slathering it with butter. Consider starting your day with a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil (brain booster) and, after your workout, try a smoothie or breakfast bowl. Need a recommendation? My favorite is red quinoa, almonds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and ground flax seeds in a breakfast bowl.

For a smoothie, add brown rice protein powder, cinnamon, almond milk and fresh blueberries to Magic Bullet, Ninja, Vitamix (or whatever blender you have on hand). Mmmm, for the taste buds and the brain.

Try these strategies, or even just one at a time to begin. Jot down how they make you feel and affect the rest of your day. Implementing these strategies will benefit so much more than just your morning.

I believe self-care is social activism! It’s putting that oxygen mask on, first, so you can effect positive change within your workplace, with your family and throughout your community.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236024