I AM Affirmations For Wealth, Money & Success (LISTEN TO THIS EVERY DAY!)

Life Is a Treasure Hunt

Once upon a time there was an unusually optimistic little boy named Max. Max's parents were worried that he was actually incapable of seeing the world like a normal kid, so they decided to take him to a psychiatrist to see if she could talk some sense into him.

The psychiatrist was getting frustrated with Max's absolute refusal to perceive negativity and was ready to try anything. Christmas was coming and she made a wild suggestion to Max's parents. Instead of gifts this year, she encouraged them to fill the back yard with horse manure. Not knowing what else to do, his parents agreed.

On Christmas morning, they were shocked to see Max, instead of being horrified, actually shrieking with delight.

"Why are you so happy, Max?" his parents demanded. "Can't you see? With all this manure, there must be a pony here somewhere!"

This is an extreme example, to be sure, but I do strongly believe and continue to prove that:

Everything either IS a gift or it HAS a gift!

We all love the experiences that immediately feel like a gift - the financial windfall, the perfect job offer, the date with the wonderful someone. It's the other experiences - the ones that are masquerading as something unwanted - that require a shift in perception.

What if you truly believed that the very unwanted situation you are experiencing is actually a gift in disguise?

If you really believed there was a gift waiting for you, would you start looking for it? Would you make it fun? Would you turn it into a treasure hunt?

Everything changes when you align with this new perspective. You no longer give in to suffering and despair. You're too busy looking for and finding treasures!

Instead of responding from a low vibration:

*"Why me?"

*"I never get a break."

*"Why can't I ever get what I want?"

Maintain your power by sincerely asking:

*"What's the gift in this situation?"

*"What's perfect about this?"

*"What's the wonderful thing that will come of this?"

This is what the Buddhists call turning poison into medicine.

The Law of Attraction teaches that we attract what we focus on. If we give into a mindset of "life sucks," we will experience one sucky experience after another.

However, if we choose the mindset of "life is good!" and maintain the willingness to find the gift in everything, we will experience a steady stream of good times.

Life is a treasure hunt, so no matter what happens, let's focus all our resources on finding the treasure. And, like Max, we'll be happy and excited knowing there must be a pony here somewhere!

Everything either IS a gift or it HAS a gift!

https://ezinearticles.com/?Life-Is-a-Treasure-Hunt&id=9888772

Fitting In

Near the beginning of the popular movie "Sound of Music" there is a song that begins "How do you solve a problem like Maria?".

The tune is about a novice nun who has great difficulty following the rules of the convent. Even though she is eager to please God and take her final vows, she often becomes lost in nature and late for her commitments. The nuns obviously love her but are frustrated by the fact that she is always in trouble and doesn't fit in to their way of life.

Then Maria is sent to work for Captain Von Trapp who is a single parent of seven children and a strict disciplinarian. Maria charms not only the children but also their father with her unconventional ways. In the end she realizes that marrying the Captain and mothering the children is a better fit for her than becoming a nun and living in a convent.

It can be very difficult for individuals who do not seem to "fit in". They are frequently bullied and lonely. Many times they suffer from depression or anxiety. They may have kind hearts and eagerness to build good relationships but just can't seem to find the place where they are comfortable and feel connected. It seems that the harder they try, the worse it gets.

Unfortunately, we live in a world that can be very judgmental. When I hear stories of bullying it makes me wonder about the perspective of the individual who is actually doing the bullying. Where they abused and bullied themselves? Have they experienced trauma that causes them to lash out at others? Do they think that it is best to attack others before being attacked? Are they lacking in skills and think that this is only way that they can face the world?

The person who is targeted can respond in a number of ways. Many find that they move from one situation to another, always receiving the same negative treatment. They want to fit in but it is almost as though they are reenacting that old cartoon where the person wears a sign on their back that says "Kick me". They get to the point where they not only rehearse trauma over and over again in their minds but they also come to expect it.

The opposite reaction is to ignore the bullying and not let it take hold. Usually this takes power away from the person who is doing the bullying and wanting a reaction. It definitely isn't an easy thing to do, especially for teenagers who desperately want to have friends and fit in.

One of the best things that the victim can do is to find a place where they do fit in. Maria never expected that her future would be with a family that she had never met. They needed her and appreciated the exact impulsivity that had caused problems for her at the abbey. The fellow nuns who had been so frustrated by the fact that she didn't follow rules actually were thrilled that she found a place where she was a better fit and needed.

Instead of trying harder to fit into the place where you think you "should" be, try finding a career, support group or other environment where you can be loved for who you really are. This may take awhile and be somewhere that you least expect.

Bullying is a very traumatic and damaging occurrence. But it takes three factors in order to continue: the bully, the target and the environment that allows it.

We are all part of society and because of this we each have an important role in the quest to end inappropriate treatment and foster a world that is healthy for everyone.

What are you doing to prevent others from being bullied and treated poorly? Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

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Message From the Universe: Fake It Until You Make It

"All you have to do is think about what you want often enough that you start talking about it and moving with it, even if you have to fake it.

Your job is simple. Even if you only "attempt" to do it, you will have done it. The slightest effort on your side is leveraged 10,000 times on my side. A nod, a wink, a whisper are sometimes all I need; a demonstration that breaks the ice, beginning a domino effect of happy "accidents" and "coincidences."

If you do this, I'll do the rest. It is that easy. I am that powerful. Life is that magical.

Thinking of your smile,

The Universe"

If it's OK to bluff in a poker game, why not bluff with everything else in life. As long as you fake and make belief for yourself and your subconscious mind that you are already there, it will send a positive message to the Universe that it should believe as well that wealth and abundance already manifested in your life. The thought in itself that you have made it without the attempt of actually making it will send a negative message to the Universe that you are doubting your potential, hence, will render mediocre results. You are making things happen everyday even when taking small tiny steps. It may seem like nothing is happening, or that you may not see the light at the end of the tunnel and that is because the Universe feels that it is not YET your time to be recognized worldwide. Yes, some may be able to accomplish their goals quicker and get the needed recognition from their hard earned effort, which can be frustrating at times, but everyone has a different story and shouldn't ever be compared with yours.

It is really important to never compare yourself or your capabilities with someone else because you will always end up getting more frustrated and disappointed. Focus on your own goals and ambitions as they most probably different from everyone elses. As long as you demonstrates constant efforts on a daily basis, that you plan your to-do list so you can check the tasks done daily, you are getting closer and closer to the life you always dreamed of. It is true that you will need to sacrifice a lot to reach your goals, but never forget to LIVE your life as well. Never forego family events just for the sake of making an additional 100 dollars. Despite that family will always understand your work ethics and will encourage you to succeed, you want them to remember you for attending important events that are meaningful to them. Your success will just stay YOUR success, even if you share your wealth with every member of your family. What's really important is the connection you keep all throughout your path to success. The Universe will understand and will respect you better for emphasizing on the real important things in life. Money will come and go, but the love you have for your family is very fragile. This is worth more than any amount of money offered to you on a golden platter.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Fake-It-Until-You-Make-It&id=9695901

Guided HIGHER SELF Meditation To Find Your LIFE'S PURPOSE (Hypnosis)| Marisa Peer

Self-Acceptance: What It Is And The Best Ways To Get It

Accepting yourself is the initial step to developing self-confidence. It's not possible to feel favorable about yourself if you can't even accept yourself. Self-acceptance is the level of happiness and complete satisfaction you have with yourself.

Numerous mental health professionals think that self-acceptance is essential prior to change taking place. If you're feeling stuck, a lack of self-acceptance may be the first challenge to overcome. Accepting your flaws allows you to fix and change them.

Learn how to accept yourself and take pleasure in the unique individual you are:

1. Release your parents' behavior. Some parents are better than others. Extremely critical moms and dads do not have bad kids, they're simply poor at parenting. There's little to be gained by giving your parents a hard time for their inadequacies. The solution is to forgive them and release yourself from the past.

Avoid evaluating yourself based on the parenting you received. It's a reflection of them, not you.

2. Volunteer. There's no simpler method to persuade yourself that you're worthy of self-acceptance than to volunteer your time with someone that needs you. Show to yourself how fantastic an individual you are. There are numerous chances to offer help in your community.

3. Be proud of your strengths. It's hard to accept yourself if you're constantly reminding yourself of your weaknesses. Make a long list that you can return to in the future. List every favorable thing you can about yourself. Even the tiniest positive quality deserves mention.

" I am a good person."

" I can play the banjo."

" I am loyal to my friends."

4. Forgive yourself. If you're dwelling on your previous wrong-doings, self-acceptance will remain in short-supply. Chalk your bad choices up to experience and carry on. Everyone does the very best they can. There will always be moments where you're less capable than others. You can do much better next time.

5. Release goals that will never be reached. If you're 57 years of ages, your youthful dream of becoming an astronaut is over. It is. It's challenging to accept yourself when the life you're living does not align with what you had originally planned. There's a time to let it all go. Let the present minute be that time. Make new strategies that are plausible which excite you.

6. Get rid of negative self-talk. You can't accept yourself if you're continuously insulting yourself. Offer yourself a combating opportunity to reach a state of self-acceptance. Speak with yourself the same way you would speak with a friend. Be a friend to yourself.

7. Be authentic. When you put on a face for the world, you're not providing others the opportunity to accept you as you are. How will you have the ability to accept yourself? When you're authentic, the love you get feels considerably more significant. Living truthfully is scary, however remarkably easy. Individuals appreciate those with the strength to be authentic.

8. Recognize your worth to the world. Thankfully, this isn't really something that must be earned. You're born with it. How much could you contribute if you really applied yourself? The world needs you. What could say more of your intrinsic value than the fact that the world really needs you?

9. Forgive others. The ability to forgive others is proportional to your ability to forgive yourself. Practice forgiving others and you'll discover self-acceptance comes much easier.

Self-acceptance is an elegant term for tolerating yourself. Nobody is perfect. You accept your family and friends despite the fact that they're all flawed in a special way. Offer yourself the same consideration. Focus on your favorable qualities and forgive yourself for your flaws and mistakes. Accept yourself as you are.

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Finding Motivation - How to Find What Motivates You

Ever notice what motivates you? Motivation could come from many of your activities which you didn't give much thought before. In fact, it could be the answer to your limitless abundance, saying goodbye to money-related problems. This article will help you trace it and achieve it. Read on.

The source of your motivation will be ingrained in you. You jump up at the thought of it and can't wait to start it. You can't stop when you are doing it and when you are done with it, you can't help admiring it, feeling a deep sense of content and satisfaction.

Motivation could be about writing fiction/nonfiction books, music - singing and/or playing a musical instrument, painting portraits and/or natural sceneries, teaching, educating others and sharing your knowledge, playing a sport you like such as soccer, tennis or swimming, cooking a variety of dishes and compiling their recipes, and the list goes on.

Guess what earning money by doing what motivates you is a plus. You will not think of it as work and will always feel inspired to do it and enjoy your time doing it and at the end, earn good money from it.

You could even do a seminar/webinar about it reaching out to more people, helping others to find what inspires them and monetize it, earning a living as well.

You could passionately write books on them, reaching out across the globe not only gaining popularity but also helping the young and old alike to find out what it is they love to do and the steps they should carry out to make it the source of their living.

Imagine what would happen if each and every person on this earth were doing what they were excited about and also earning money from it - naturally the global economy would rise and no one had to leave jobs or get laid off unless because of other circumstantial problems, which could be worked out as well.

Doing the very stuff you love to do and also making a living from it will gradually help you to tap into limitless abundance and prosperity, and you will never have to worry about money problems again.

So the next time, when you are thinking about a career or business, put your creative mind at play, try to figure out what makes you jump up at the thought of doing something, then start doing it and step-by-step monetize it as well so that you never have to work another day again. Sounds good?

https://ezinearticles.com/?Finding-Motivation---How-to-Find-What-Motivates-You&id=10289389

Les Brown - Are you committed ?

The ONLY reason things aren't Manifesting with the LOA [ HOW TO FIX IT ]

Never Quit, Persistence Is The Way

Persistence attracts opportunity, with those three words, I begin this article. Sure, when you are exasperated, early quitting always sounds good, especially when it all gets "bloody" or hard. When you are tired, some of the greatest successes come after the next wind. I will not say "second wind", because it sometimes takes multiple streams of persistence to succeed, and not any streams of persistence, and just one try without trying again to genuinely fail.

The greatest quitter in the world is never known, because all quitters quit before they succeed or "make it". Rest assured, though, the greatest successes in the world are the ultimate seeming "failures in the beginning". From Gautama Buddha who spent seventy years "going crazy" trying to figure it all out from suffering in the world itself to the "biggest why things in the world" under the Bodhi Tree, to Jesus Christ who "ended" his ministry with assassination by Crucifixion, only to come back in an even better form ultimately, and have one of the greatest mass ministries on Earth bigger than anything else going on Earth. So, what is the greatest persistence in the world? It is one of us if we do not genuinely quit too early.

The only thing that separated Alexander Graham Bell and the rest of the inventors of the telephone, was this, persistence and a simple turn of a screw connecting a wire, also an understanding of vibration and consistency that matched nothing else going. Alexander Graham Bell understood vibration and consistency (knowing it would take a constant and not intermittent current to transmit speech over electrical wires), although it seemed simple, that turn of the screw was the difference between intermittent inconsistency and consistently and productively working, and what stemmed form all of this to full fruition?: Oh, just cell phones, every communication medium on the planet including radio and wireless gadgets like that we use every day. Even though Lewis Latimer really invented, drew and patented the light bulb, and not Edison technically, I genuinely give credit where credit is due and warranted, whatever the realistic consequences. This is what separates Christianity from the other religions in a sense when Jesus Christ said the simply logical statement: "Render unto Caesar what is the property of Caesar, and render unto God genuinely what is the property of God." in the New Testament Biblical Books of Matthew and Mark.

My point and synopsis is as follows, then I will end this article: To live in reality whatever the consequences is success. To follow through with a genuine path is success in every way. That is the synopsis. Success is guts, persistence and genuinely good work and little else. That is the point, take what you need from that, and make it work for you. Thank you for reading.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Never-Quit,-Persistence-Is-The-Way&id=10216186

The 4 States of Mind: Pathway to Success

The four states of mind is a concept coined by Vishen Lakhaini, the curator of the awesomeness festival and the author of the Codex Mind. The four states of mind is a theory that can give us an insight about our own mindset and more importantly an ability to track ourselves as we work to move from any state of the mind that does not serve us to the one that does.

There are two key elements that must be either in a balance or imbalance in each of the individual four states of mind; those two elements are happiness in the now and a vision for the future. Depending on which side the scale tips you could find yourself in any one of these states of mind. Let's see what they are:

1. The Negative Spiral

The negative spiral is possibly the most challenging state. In this state, there is no vision for the future and no happiness in the now. When you are stuck in the negative spiral you may suffer from clinical disorders such as anxiety and even depression. Although a small percentage of the population finds themselves in this state for a prolonged period of time, the lower frequency of this state does not diminish the magnitude of its debilitating effects.

2. Current Reality Trap

In the current reality trap you have happiness in the now but you have no vision for the future. This seems like a really good place to be in, where you can find happiness in the now and be content in the moment; however research shows that true fulfillment comes from having a purpose and a mission in life which you work towards through a defined vision. In the long-term you are more likely to be happy and engaged in your life if you have a vision for your future, in addition to being happy in your current circumstances.

3. Stress and Anxiety

The third state is called the stress and anxiety state and this one I believe is where a lot of entrepreneurs find themselves, especially the ones that are just starting out or only a few years in their entrepreneurial journey. Stress and anxiety is where you have no happiness in the now but you do have a vision for the future. In other words, you are not happy in the current moment with what you have and all your focus goes into your vision for the future as you put all your energy working towards that singular goal. As you focus completely on realizing your massive vision you become oblivious to the joys of the journey along the way and in fact become stressed and anxious about not achieving massive results right away.

I know the stress and anxiety state very well. I was stuck in it myself, perpetually chasing happiness, always running towards the next thing and the thing after that but happiness never came. Happiness seemed elusive and out of my reach. I constantly and tirelessly worked towards achieving goals hoping to find happiness once I achieved them, but when I did, happiness evaded me and was nowhere to be found. In this state your vision drives you on a perpetual chase for happiness that starts resembling a witch hunt.

Many entrepreneurs can relate with this feeling as they inch away towards their goals the joy that comes in the moment working towards them seems to escape them all the time. I certainly felt this way for a long time where I just could not find the happiness in whatever I had in the current moment.

4. State of Flow

The fourth one is the most interesting and decadent state of all, the state of flow. In this state you have a vision for the future AND you're happy in the present moment, the now. The state of flow is an empowered state because here you are able to enjoy all the hard work that you're doing and enjoy the fruits of your labour by being happy in the current moment. The state of flow is common among people that are the so called "game changers" in the world. The ones that can find themselves being happy in the moment in whatever they have but at the same time, have this grand vision for how they want to see their organizations evolve and in many cases the world.

You may relate with the state of flow as you may have been in flow at one point in your life or are in flow right now at this time of your life. When you are in the state of flow you can feel that everything you touch turns to gold, that everything falls into place, things just line up and whatever you do starts to produce results. The state of flow is a really good place to be in because here you start to see results. This is where you really feel like you're living a fulfilled life.

If you are in the stress and anxiety state there are many ways to transition into the state of flow, practices and techniques that can successfully bring you into a place where your vision and happiness complement each other in a beautiful balance. Where you have a grand vision for your future and yet enjoy your success in the moment. I will discuss the practices that you can adopt to transition yourself into the sate flow in my next blog post.

Moving yourself from stress and anxiety to flow take action, consistency paired with hard work is what brings success, if you are ready for a consistent change in your life that can bring you financial freedom like you have never experience before I want to introduce you a tried and true online business model on my website [http://digitalifestylebusiness.com/].

Be aware this business model is not for the opportunistic seeker but for the consistent producer. Remember success doesn't come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.

https://ezinearticles.com/?The-4-States-of-Mind:-Pathway-to-Success&id=9564475

Befriend Your Shadows

So often, especially for sensitive people, our personal shadow side is difficult to acknowledge. It's as if acknowledging the shadow will somehow negate the good we're doing in the world. Or perhaps the sheer presence of a shadow means we haven't done enough 'work' on ourselves. Or that we're not spiritual enough. Or, worse, that there's something permanently wrong with us.

Yes. Our shadows are tough to explore. They're designed to be tough. Tough enough to keep us away from those unwanted parts of ourselves, banished so long ago. Sometimes we don't even know they're there.

The problem with shadows, though, is that they never truly stay hidden. They creep into our behavior, our reactions, our moods, and our personalities. Sometimes they scream at us. And they always push us out of alignment. They will continue to push us out of alignment, until we begin to take notice. Until we embrace them. Simply put, until we befriend our shadows, we will never be able to find true fulfillment.

If you're new to shadow work, here is a brief description of a few common types of shadows.

3 common types of shadows:

Dark Shadows: These include mistakes, wrong-doings, and traumatic events. This is where we harbor shame. We typically spend inordinate amounts of energy trying to hide, deny and avoid these dark shadows. Neglected, they can lead to all sorts of negative, and even harmful, behavior towards ourselves and others.

Unacknowledged Gifts: Here we find our natural strengths and talents which have been pushed into the shadows. This usually happens during youth, as a result of some form of rejection. They can get triggered by someone else's success, along with resentment, anger, or jealousy. These shadows can lead to all sorts of self sabotage from unfulfilling jobs, to procrastination, to overall stagnation.

Light Shadows: These shadows can stem from an inner belief that we're not good, lovable, or valuable enough. Often these shadows include an unresolved need to be loved, or validated. They can lead to overly-friendly, overly-giving, and overly-responsible behaviors.

An effective way of approaching any of our shadows is with forgiveness, compassion, and love. Woven into our shadows are layers of pain and suffering, yearning to be healed. EFT Tapping, meditation, therapy, journaling, prayer, and deep self-care routines, are all helpful methods to assist you as you work with your shadows.

Remember, shadow work takes consistency, patience, compassion, love, and help from others. It's worth it. It's an experience that will truly transform your life.

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How Would You Know If You Are Reincarnated?

Scientists have worked for years to understand the mechanism behind reincarnation. Why do some remember it while others can recall previous lives, even prove how and when they died? The dilemma is enhanced by the religious banning of anything to do with it. Officials in such organised mind bending only want people to accept their version of the after-life. This is so they maintain power and control exercised by fear and reward.

Human are prone to fear what they don't understand. That means that they tend to accept what is taught to them by parents, society, and their faith. But sometimes it is the little voice inside that pulls them away from it and presents a different picture to the 'norm'.

That happens to little children who may suddenly burst out with claims of a previous life or they accuse their parents of not being their rightful mother and father. In order to satisfy their own belief, the shocked mum and dad may instruct their offspring that they are sadly mistaken and can even call in the professionals to start psychiatric therapy.

The child becomes frightened and may stop the memory while accepting what they are then told. This can also present problems of other types. Many will become depressed and some even turn to suicide.

By ignoring their spiritual link which manifests through that little voice within they become lost and confused. Behavioural problems may manifest and sometimes rebellion against society and even the law.

When people are encouraged to maintain their memory, or they do it despite orders to the contrary, they generally live a happy and fulfilling life.

Can reincarnation, on the other hand, be the only trigger to these scenarios? With memory of my own transit from one life to the next a warning came not to expose it to anyone until it could be explained. Things happened, however, early on in my childhood that shocked my mother especially. It was hard not to let things slip out.

One day we were walking past a building we had not passed before. Stopping dead in my tracks it brought back memories not expected. "We used to live there" I burst out. Mum's face turned white and she looked like she might faint. "You couldn't possibly know that" she said, "you were only three weeks old when we moved."

Not only was it known to me but every detail of the inside came back. It taught me to remain quiet because of the shock it gave her.

So recall is one way that people can know that they have reincarnated. Deja'Vu is also important, and then there are flashbacks to things not accountable in one's present life. It all mounts up and if taken further many things can emerge to further confuse researchers who are not properly tuned into it.

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-Would-You-Know-If-You-Are-Reincarnated?&id=10046504

The SECRET To Building LOVE & ROMANCE In A Relationship | Jay Shetty & Radhi Shetty

Eckhart Tolle On Parental Criticism

A Better Version of Myself

 "People generally fall into one of three groups: the few who make things happen, the many who watch things happen, and the overwhelming majority who have no notion of what happens. Every person is either a creator of fact or a creature of circumstance. He either puts color into his environment, or, like a chameleon, takes color from his environment." Myles Munroe

This quote by the late Myles Munroe sheds light on a very interesting dynamic; it can make one reread it and that has the potential to cause you to be extremely honest with yourself or cause for retreat deeper into your denial. It is not unusual to see many people posting on their social media platforms, "living my best life" with some awesome sunset or a selfie with a spectacular background and of course, there are the vacation pictures with that same caption, "living my best life". The truth be told; most of us know that that one snapshot does not mean it is their "best" life but simply a nice picture and they want you to think it's their "best life". Here is the funny and sad thing about that; we will often find ourselves doing the same thing because hey, we have to be living our "best life" too!

We can't be the only one posting how much we hate our job; we can't post that our neighbors are driving us crazy with their stupid dog that waits until you go to bed to start barking for the next four hours! You can but, it's always better to be living our "best life" right? We can't be the only one posting about how disappointed we are with our adult children's life choices, or after spending way too much money on your child's sports gear only to find out how horrible they are and how you remained silent when the other parents started asking, "whose kid is that?" and you knew that it was not the "wow, that kid is awesome" kind of "whose kid is that?" so, we follow the crowd and post "living my best life" with a picture of you eating pizza after the game as you let everyone know that you had a great time bonding with your child at their game. Smh! Most of us aren't living our "best life" because we have no idea how to create an okay or good life, let alone a "best life!

A Better Version of Myself: Something Has to Change

There are many people who struggle to create the life that they once pictured in their head, many people often think and believe that "Life" happened while they were making plans for their future. I understand what they mean and I can relate completely; now I can say, that if I had the same understanding and knowledge that I have now, I would have made different choices. The truth is that life is always happening and it will until we die. The reality is that we didn't stick to our plans for the future, we didn't implement those plans, we didn't really plan for the future, we become afraid of failure/success so, we gave up on our plans or we had a plan but had no idea to how to implement those plans. Circumstances and situations will always have the potential to sidetrack anyone and many times poor decision making can result in giving up on our plans and dreams.

But, those things should never prevent you from achieving your hopes and dreams! I have noticed that there are plenty of people who when faced with adversity tend to use whatever the adversity is as a reason to stop going for their dreams; they squander all that they were striving for and throw in the towel. I often share in my coaching sessions the importance of evaluating one's thought processes. I can't stress enough how important it is to have someone in your life that cares enough about you that they will tell you the truth rather than telling you what you want to hear. I believe that 85% of the time, we are defeated by our own thought processes and our unwillingness to alter or change our plans when a change is needed.

Most people become upset if you see a (legit) flaw in their process and then have the nerve to share what you see. I think that what people often hear when they get feedback is that their plans aren't good; many people that hear information contrary to what they think, as a personal attack on their dreams and they dismiss things that have great value and could be the difference between success and becoming unsuccessful in achieving their dreams.

A Better Version of Myself: Lay the Foundation Once

Have you ever met or know someone who constantly makes huge plans and have big dreams but never complete one thing because they become bogged down with a million details? Do you tend to become so excited about all of the possibilities of achieving your dream that you put everything into making it materialize but, you are constantly going back to insert things that you need into your plans after you've started full speed ahead?

Do you find that as you are working towards building on your dream/goal that you become distracted or sidetracked by some new, better way of reaching your dreams? Do you have a lot of activity but zero progress and you've become frustrated because you are constantly taking four steps forward and three steps backwards. Or, there's always someone that's willing to help you with reaching your goals and after investing in whatever it is that they offer; you are no closer to your goals than when you started!

All of these things that I mentioned are indications that there is no firm foundation on which to build your dreams on! Listen, I want you to be able to experience endless possibilities as you walk in the reality of your goals and dreams but you'll have to be willing to take the time to lay the foundation first before you do anything else.

What is your strategy? How sound is your plan and is that plan written out? If it isn't written out then it doesn't exist! I strongly recommend that you write or dictate everything that comes to your mind regarding your goals and dreams. Have a notepad, use your "memo" on your phone, have a designated place to put your thoughts and ideas.

There is a dream destroying thought that a lot of people operate under and that is this; "You don't share your dream with everyone because they will try to kill it with negativity!" There's a lot of truth in that but, the problem with it is that usually we tend to share our plans with people that we know will not try to kill our plans. They aren't a threat of possible change, they aren't a threat to making you have to stop what you're doing and rethink everything that you thought was a good idea.

I don't like feedback but, and that's a BIG BUT; I know that I need it if I am to be and remain successful. I have people purposed in my life that think totally different from the way that I think. I need people in my life to help me to see what I can't, to see things in my blind spots and guess what; so do you!

A Better Version of Myself: Building My Team

I have had big dreams and an entrepreneurial spirit since I was in middle school. I was constantly creating ways to make money and I did just that-make money. As I've become somewhat mature, money is never a thought when I begin any endeavor and as a matter of fact, money typically comes into mind after I have fleshed out everything and have decided on a course of action. I have learned from a lot of pain and suffering that money cannot drive (my) plans, goals or dreams, it just can't! So, what's driving you to do what you want to do?

Do you want to know what is number one on my list after I've decided on the next step of building on my dreams? Well, thanks for asking. I immediately begin to think about who will help me in accomplishing what I want to do and if I don't know anyone for that particular project, I'll begin to ask my contacts if they know someone that can help me, yep, I ask for other people to help me and you should too.

Here's the trick, well, really, there is no trick; you have to learn how to determine who are safe and who isn't. Most of us recognize "red flags" but we choose to ignore those "red flags". We tend to sense when something or someone is on the "up and up" for the most part. The issue is we develop scenarios and conversations that haven't happened yet or think that the conversations will be too uncomfortable to have so we let things go that tend to come back to bite us you know where.

Listen, your time and money is just as valuable as the next person regardless of the amount; if you had to work for it then it's valuable! You have to know when you're the consumer or the provider. The consumer always has the upper hand because that hand holds the money. If you can't get what you want or need from one source, then move on to another source because you're the consumer and you're the one that decides who the provider is.

You are never forced to give someone your time or money but, many people act as though they have no say in the matter and get burned. After you get burned, you create thought processes to protect ourselves from getting burned again and it is that very thought process that causes you to continue to make poor choices.

Surrounding yourself with individuals that have your best interests at heart even if it's on a paid, professional basis should always be your goal. Research everything and everyone and do your due diligence. Plan your work, have other capable and knowledgeable people review it for you with the sole purpose of finding flaws or at least things that make them ask you questions. I have individuals who have different skill sets for each project that I'm working on. If I'm working on something that involves construction work or video production then I'll talk to people in those fields. This is a great benefit and it introduces you to people who know other people that may become a resource for you later.

I hope this helped you in some way. Please remember to desire change, to create a solid and tested plan or strategy and last but not least, begin to put together a team that can help you and you can become a resource for them as well. I think that this will be a good start to becoming a better version of you.

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Hypnotherapy: The Mode of Reducing Life's Stress

The modern-day stressful lifestyle is robbing individuals of healthy habits which is otherwise important traits of leading a proper life. Thus it is the stressful lifestyle that is compelling people to take up ill-habits such as smoking, nail-biting, gaining weight in excess, low self-confidence, becoming victim of various phobias etc.

World Wide Locations:

Hypnotic treatment has what has come up as the treatment option for the treating such an unhealthy means of lifestyle. The treatment has already spread across the world. In most of the overpopulated nations, most of the people have the habit of excessive smoking as they undergo a lifestyle that is full of stress and tension. Hypnotherapy works as magic for people who want to reduce smoking to a greater level.

This option is turning out as one of the form of Hypnotherapy for most victims. With the medical profession giving recognition to the procedure, it has become more of evidence that psychological state is directly responsible for the physical being. Hypnosis as a practice has seen the first daylight back in the 1950's under the guidance of famous hypnotists. Since then the practice has undergone evolution and alterations, posing as the treatment option for any ailment.

Administration:

The treatment procedure to begin requires the patient to visit the clinic or the center where such a treatment option exists. As a matter of fact, a single seating measure suffices as enough as a treatment option. A seating duration for a patient may last from an hour to an hour and a half. On the request of the patient such a session is also very much possible at the home of the patient.

One seating session creates enough impact for quite duration of time. The effect of the session too starts off immediately. A telephonic conversation is also on offer to address and listen to any specific from of queries. An appointment ensures according to the requirements. There are various hypnotherapy clinics that give the best services to the clients. Even the stage shows and corporate hypnosis events bring a great change in the mind of the people.

Learning:

As a branch of modern science, any medical professional or even individuals wanting to learn hypnotherapy as alternative to reduce smoking in the number of clinics that provide the treatment. The courses ensure it covers quite a wide spectrum on the subject. The learning very much provides a basic introduction on which further practice may begin by the professional or individual.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Hypnotherapy:-The-Mode-of-Reducing-Lifes-Stress&id=9512491

Why Agree To Disagree Doesn't Work

Are Your Decisions Influenced by Things You Don't Know You Don't Know? (By Ted Santos)

When I first meet with a client, I tell them something profound. Within the first 20 minutes of that meeting, I tell them they are still making decisions as a five year old. In every single case, they tell me that that does not apply to them. Over the next 90 minutes, they say something different. They come to the realization that the five-year-old version of themselves is still running their life. How is this possible?

The age of my clients range 35-62. Most are CEOs or managers of midsize businesses. The industries vary from legal to manufacturing. Their education also ranges from Ivy League universities to highly skilled technical training. I have even had clients who were once psychologists with a private practice. As you can see, education, profession or socioeconomic class has not made anyone immune to this aspect of the human paradigm. Making decisions, as a five year old is so much a part of our social construct that no one questions it. In some ways, we are taught to think as a five year old when we encounter certain people or situations.

For example, I know a woman, called Paula, who once asked me why she always had to be right. I said you might have given the wrong answer when you were about five years old. She enthusiastically responded by telling me about the time she was in the waiting area of a dentist's office when she was five. She said the dentist walked into the waiting area that was filled with children who were scheduled for an appointment. When he entered the room, he was holding something. He asked the children if they knew what it was. Paula was the first to raise her hand. When she gave her answer, the dentist said, 'no, that's wrong'.

After that, she had no idea as to what happened in the room. She immediately began to think about how stupid and embarrassing she looked. Included in that thought process was a promise. She promised she would never let that happen again.

While it seems that was a past event and she should have gotten over it, she, like others, did not. The fear of looking bad by giving wrong answer plagued her personal and professional life. On the one hand, she chose to be a criminal attorney. In that profession, the need to be right works in her favor. If you're an alleged criminal in need of legal representation, she is a great lawyer to hire. She will fight like an alley cat to be right for you. She wins most of her cases. When she loses, she is devastated.

On the other hand, as a boss, she manages her people almost like a samurai, in that her words are like a sword that beheads people. She has her own practice with several attorneys and support staff. And she fights her subordinates to be right, even if she isn't. Worse yet, she has not been able to successfully hire men.

Without question, the fear of experiencing being wrong affected her romantic relationships. She fights her significant other like an attorney in the courtroom. As you can imagine, those relationships don't last long.

Over and over again, I have seen people make choices and sabotage great ambitions because they did not want to experience or relive an event that happened when they were five. Because people believe becoming an adult exempts them from childhood trauma, they don't know that they don't know they are being affected by a situation that happened around five years old - for some it could have happened anywhere between four and eight. This is probably true for every human on the planet.

Anything that vaguely reminds us of the five-year-old experience will push us back into that mindset. Because you have had that mindset since a young age, it seems like it is part of your personality. It is not. If anything, it becomes part of your identity and the lens through which you see yourself and the world. Because that lens shapes reality, the person is blind to the fact they are responding to an incident from the past. That becomes a blind spot or self-imposed barrier. In Paula's case, that blind spot shaped career choices as well as marital status. To undo the five year old in you, you will have to reverse engineer your identity. That way it becomes self-discovery. Once you discover it, you can do something about it.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Are-Your-Decisions-Influenced-by-Things-You-Dont-Know-You-Dont-Know?&id=9633387

Anthony Norvell How To Tap The Divine Mind Power Currents Of The Cosmos

5 Simple Tips to Become More Self-Confident

A lack of self-confidence is one of the biggest obstacles to reaching your goals and pursuing your passions and purpose. Each time you put yourself out to the world, it feels like a risk. But unless you do take that risk, you don't allow yourself to make your dreams a reality.

Self-confidence is a feeling of trust in your abilities, qualities and judgement. So, how do you build that trust in yourself?

1. Get in touch with how you feel when you're not confident. It can feel like anxiety, nervousness, fearfulness, worry or simply feeling resistant to taking an action.

Once you're clear on how it feels when you lack confidence, you want to shift into a better feeling place. Using our trusty law of attraction processes can come in handy here. Pre-paving is a process that allows you to rehearse a situation before it happens.

Pre-paving is simply feeling and thinking of everything going your way before an event occurs.

So, before publishing that novel, giving a presentation, going on a job interview or any situation where you want to feel confident, pre-pave by thinking of all the good things that you want to occur. Practice "skipping to the end" and getting in touch with how you expect to feel with everything working out for you. See in your mind's eye the events, people, and outcomes you want. Imagine yourself standing tall, feeling confident. See people smiling and nodding. Imagine yourself very relaxed and clear minded. Imagine the feeling of satisfaction you have with a happy outcome. The idea is to do a mental rehearsal that feels really good to you. Have fun and play with this!

2. Stop comparing yourself to others. You are a unique individual with your own contributions to make and your own timetable. Own that thought! Even if you think others are more accomplished than you, don't sell yourself short. I've been in several situations where I thought I was in over my head and others were better than me only to find out my contributions were deeply appreciated. You have your own style and it will resonate with your "tribe."

3. Pay attention to your thoughts. How much negative self-talk is going in your head? Shift your focus to what you DO like about yourself. What skills, talents or qualities do you have that you are proud of? Make a list of them and refer to it often. Remember you are a work in progress, so forgive any mistakes, look at what you learned from them and be proud of your growth.

4. Deliberately shift your thinking away from questions that drain confidence to questions that empower you. Instead of, "Why do I always feel this way?" try "How would I like to feel?" Instead of "Why does this always happen to me?" ask "What do I have to learn from this situation?"

5. Think back to times when you have felt confident. Even if you have to go way back in your history, there is a time when you felt confident. Bring that feeling of confidence into your body and practice it. If you really can't remember a time of feeling confident, imagine what confidence feels like and practice that.

You can train yourself to be more confident. Take small steps that are just outside of your comfort zone. You'll soon get the feedback that you can do and be more than you thought.

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"Most People Won't Accept This Powerful Truth..." | Neville's Most Powerful Lecture???

How to Build and Exhume Confidence in Yourself

Do you count yourself as being one of those unfortunate creatures of God who are just not worthy of being loved, praised or appreciated? If yes, then chances are high that you also must be very insecure as a person, although you must be doing a pretty good job of concealing it. What you must realize at this point is that try as you might to hide your true feelings they find a way to manifest themselves in form of low self-esteem.

How you feel about yourself and judge your worth is described as self-esteem. To this effect, individuals who feel regard themselves poorly or inferior to others are the ones who suffer from low self-esteem. Having a low self-esteem is not about being quirky but about acknowledging that there is indeed a real problem at hand that needs to be solved before it sabotages all other aspects of life, most important among them being happiness.

Typical Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem

Following are some behavior traits that are characteristic of people suffering from low self-esteem -

Extremely sensitive to criticism - Unlike most people who take criticism in stride, a person with low self-esteem is unduly sensitive to criticism. Psychologists attribute this to the uncertain mindset that is characteristic of such a person wherein he/she tends to closely observe other people's reactions and often arrives at a negative conclusion.

In the event of you being a person with low self-esteem, most of the times you would feel that others are justified in treating you badly.

Socially isolated - Individuals with low self-esteem tend to remain socially isolated, whether it is in form of staying away from a room-mate or spending time on phone despite being a part of a big gathering. Even if someone does try to approach such a person and strike a conversation, the attempt is futile since all that takes place is passing of insecurities in a bid to feel superior.

Attributing everything to luck - A typical characteristic of low self-esteem is to shrug off hard-earned success and attribute it to a blessing or simply sheer luck. The sign of a healthy self-esteem is to embrace success and return the compliment with a simple 'thank you'. On the flip side, one that is indicative of low self-esteem echoes the sentiment that whatever good happened was either due to someone else or could have been much better.

Appeasement policy - Backing out of an argument willingly or saying sorry to people irrespective of whether they deserve it or not is reflective of poor self-esteem. This is because a person having low self-esteem is scared to express his/her true feelings or opinions for the fear of being laughed at or rejected. Appeasement seems to be the best option to avoid a conflict or an argument.

Fatigue and insomnia - Feeling fatigued or spending too much time in bed without falling asleep reflect on an escapist mentality which in turn stems from low self-esteem. Slouching shoulders are also indicative of the fact that you do not consider yourself worthy enough.

Dealing with Low Self-Esteem

There are several factors that contribute towards a low self-esteem ranging from negligent or uninvolved parents to having a critical peer group, physical or mental trauma, negative thought patterns and unrealistic expectations. That said, it is equally important to bear in mind that self-esteem can be dealt with, meaning it is something that can be changed since it is after all a state of mind.

Raising self-esteem may take plenty of time and practice but as long as you are determined enough to challenge your own mindset and push it towards change, there is nothing that can stop you. Practicing self-esteem exercises and attending self-esteem workshops are some recommendations that could speed up the process but ultimately the choice is yours to make. And when you choose to change your thinking, not only do you gain a healthy self-esteem but also a world of positivism.

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An Explanation of "What Comes Around, Goes Around" Really Means

Are you intrigued by the title? Do you know what it relates? For an understanding in depth, read on.

All emotions like love, smile, laugh, cry and anger carry energy. You are an abundance of one of these energies at a particular moment and you pass on those vibes to others.

Others catch these vibes and immediately depending on the type of vibe, they feel loved, happy, sad or angry. So it's important what vibes you are radiating moment to moment.

These vibes spread from community to community, the whole city, the whole nation and even start trespassing to the rest of the world.

So what comes around to people from you as an individual goes all around the earth. Knowing how badly it affects everyone, wouldn't you care to smile more and be full of optimism no matter what your current situation is. After all you do care about making the world a happier place to live in and surprising enough it all starts with you.

The next time you meet people, pass on good vibes to them, playing and laughing with them. Immediately the happy vibes reach across and spread and everybody automatically feels happier.

You can also show acts of kindness and love to your circle of people and as you guessed they will disseminate all around.

So remind yourself not to get mad, be cruel or harsh on anybody. You may be strict with your values and principles but that's different. It's the emotions that you show that really matter and go around.

Start with your own family. Be empathetic, soft, caring and loving towards your spouse and children. They will be happy and feel loved and spread those vibes on to the people they come across.

That's how you make a difference in a positive way in your world. It all starts small and ends up big. In fact, what comes around, goes around.

Now that you know the emotions you display affect others contagiously and the world at large, wouldn't you care to be affectionate and smile more at others? It not only makes others happy but also you stay happy. When you are at peace with yourself, it is easy and simple to be at peace with others.

So realize it all starts with you. The world simply mirrors back your emotional vibrations. So the next time you come across somebody feeling low in spirits, cheer them up and the happy vibes will be infectious going all around.

https://ezinearticles.com/?An-Explanation-of-What-Comes-Around,-Goes-Around-Really-Means&id=9782595

The Creative Thinking Process - Three Examples

Creative thinking can be learnt. And to do so it helps to understand the creative thinking process: the structure and steps that you need to take to generate (and sometime evaluate) creative ideas.

Here are 3 examples of the creative thinking process. They all start with a definition of the creative challenge, or creative goal. In my case, this is to 'generate new ideas for a holiday'.

Information, Incubation, Ideation

This creative thinking process begins with gathering information. To generate ideas we need input, ideas won't emerge from an empty vessel! In my case, looking for ideas for a holiday, I'd go online, talk to friends, look through the travel magazines... any relevant source of information!

Next, relax. Put the challenge to one side. Forget about it. Let the information incubate in your mind. This process is rooted in the belief that generating ideas should be natural, stress-free and almost effortless. Let the mind do it's work in the subconscious.

The key thing is to make sure you're ready to capture the ideas as they emerge. Because the final ideation stage is quite fluid you need to be ready to write down the ideas before they're lost. Keep a notebook handly, especially on the bedside table, so that you can write down the ideas as soon as they emerge.

You'll soon find you have plenty of great ideas!

Observe, combine, create

This process begins in a similar way: observation is a way of gathering information.

The key to this process is combine. It's a technique of idea generation which involves taking existing ideas, and combining them to create something new.

This process is great for creating new products. As a very simple example, putting a camera into a mobile phone combined two existing products to create something new.

For my holiday, I might see a 'foodies' holiday in Italy, but chose to combine it with my original destination, Thailand. This inspiration could result in a tour around the gastronomic hotspots to sample Thai cuisine.

Dreamer, Realist, Critic

This final creative thinking process involves not just generating ideas, but also evaluating and improving them. It's know as 'The Disney Way' as it was originally used by Walt Disney to generate ideas and evaluate ideas for his movies.

The Dreamer is free of all constraints, has infinite resources and anything they think of is guaranteed to succeed. This mindset is designed to overcome limitations, and generate the 'free thinking' required to come up with great and outrageous ideas.

The Realist is more practical: evaluating and refining ideas.

And finally, The Critic asks if the ideas are really good enough. If not, it's back to The Dreamer!

As I search for a holiday, I might dream of going to the moon. Not possible, but as I become a realist it will trigger more thoughts. Perhaps I could visit NASA? Or try skydiving? Or visit Area 51?

In summary: Three Creative Thinking Processes

Next time you have a challenge that requires a creative solution, try using these techniques. You'll soon be developing your creative thinking skills, and generating more and better ideas too!

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4 Characteristics That Are Common In Every Person Who Manifested Their Desires Easily [ MUST WATCH ]

Learn From Your Successes to Build Self-Esteem

Self-awareness is the foundation of success in life. Learning from successes can boost your self-esteem and self-awareness because you can learn more about yourself and your strengths. Too often we get lost in the hyper-speed of today's society and the challenges that confront us at work and home to really remember that we have had successes in the past.

Everyone excels in at least one area (generally more than one area). When you understand self-awareness, this can help you to learn where your best skills lie and to do more activities that enable you to leverage these advanced skills more often.

Whenever you do something well, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Pride, and confidence surge in you because you could achieve something that ideally helped yourself and others. In many cases, you were the best person for the task and were more easily able to achieve it than other people would have. Therefore, other people will look up to you because you were able to complete the task and/or achieve the feat so quickly and easily as compared to others.

When you are having a difficult time or struggling with challenges, it is important to look back upon your successes and realize that you have the capability of doing great things and succeeding at whatever you are doing. Sometimes, life "throws us a curveball" that makes us uncomfortable and causes us to struggle a bit with tasks that we are not used to completing and have a hard time completing at a high level.

The key is that we must remember that especially during these difficult times, we have the capability to adapt and succeed. Build a library of those times when you've had successes, especially those tasks that others struggled and they called upon you to do them.

You can do this via journaling or some other method of documenting the successes because our memories can falter or be distorted after a period. Pay attention to the details so when the time comes you can assign credit where it is due. In my opinion, every success I have will be associated with another person or group who helped in the execution. This helps you build them up also.

Whether it was an issue with a computer or electronic device, an item at home that needed repairing, or just offering helpful advice to someone dealing with a situation you dealt with before, you could succeed where others couldn't or would have a harder time succeeding.

Reflecting on your past successes and realizing you have the capability to adapt and do many tasks well, you will realize that whatever present challenge you're facing can be overcome as well.

Reflecting and celebrating past successes is a great foundation for expanding your self-awareness and self-esteem but don't fall into the trap of spending your time focusing on the past. It is meant to be an inspiration not a crutch.

To be more successful, just focus on the task at hand, utilize the lessons you've learned from having past successes, and put the skills and effort in to overcome the present challenge.

By taking time to reflect and learn from your past successes, you can keep your self-esteem intact during times of great difficulty and be able to overcome virtually any challenge that comes your way.

Be mindful and intentional in all that you do today and tomorrow will be rich and rewarding.

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Relax and Take a Break

How often do you relax and take a break? Statistics reveal that increasing numbers of us are loathe to 

take time away from work, with some 19 million days of UK holiday entitlement remaining untaken in one year alone. One in five of us work seven extra hours each week of unpaid overtime. And these figures only record those in salaried employment.

Business owners and sole traders rarely think about set hours or what time they should be clocking off from work. It may be only when their health starts to suffer, relationships with family and friends are affected or they start to feel resentful and jaded that there's any motivation to change things.

Allowing time to relax and take a break is important on many levels. A recent Labour Force Survey discovered that 45% of all working days, 11.7 million last year in total, were lost to stress-related issues. The impact of not relaxing and taking a break can be hugely significant in every area of life.

- One reason why so many of us work so hard is to provide a good living for our family and make them proud of us. But spending less and less time together, giving increasing importance to clients or customers, or being constantly irritable or distracted may be impacting on the quality of those relationships. Equally, we need to take some time for ourselves, have a break, pursue our hobbies and interests or simply relax and do nothing at all. Taking time to nurture the creative and non-work side of ourselves brings another dimension of satisfaction and fulfillment.

- It's been found that when we do take a break, even for short periods, perhaps for a short stroll or a drink of water, we often return with fresh ideas and insights into problem areas that may have been troubling us. People often say, don't make a hasty decision, sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning. Equally, detaching and taking a break can be beneficial. It allows time for our minds to still, new thoughts and ideas to surface, and for us to take a little time away from the 'coal face'.

- Chasing our dreams, challenging ourselves and being successful are all well and good. It's important to say 'yes' and step outside our comfort zone sometimes but it's also relevant to say 'no', and claim time and energy for ourselves too. Including every area of life in our focus matters. Let's consider some helpful ways to relax and take a break.

- If work is usually a mental, cerebral activity a break can provide the opportunity for alternative activity like physical exercise and time to work and tire those muscles. Sleep-related issues and our quality of sleep can be affected when we're tired mentally, but not physically, or vice versa. If work is largely mental introduce sport, walks, a round of golf, visit to the gym and maybe add a social element by sharing those times with friends or family.

If you work in mainly a physical capacity join a quiz night, locate your board games, start doing the crossword or join a book club and find sociable ways to have a break and spend time exercising mentally.

- Sometimes we need to learn to relax gradually, maybe by feeling there's a purpose to it. Volunteering, perhaps for a charity, youth group or community project can introduce something different but also add value to life. We move our focus away from work targets, profit, earning, and, as such, redirect our energy into something with a less business-focused angle. Doing this provides space to explore new skills, work with a different agenda and meet new people, those with similar interests to ourselves.

- Relax and take a break with family. Learn to have proper conversations, keep up-to-date with each other's news, opinions and stories. Share your challenges with them, they're the people closest to you, and let them help. They may be able to ease the pressure in different areas of your life, resulting in better communications and an improved bond.

- Consider outsourcing some of your commitments. You may be able to buy yourself a break by hiring help with domestic chores, like cleaning, ironing or gardening, or by paying someone to do those work-related tasks that are not your forte. Paying the best person to do the job can be money well spent, resulting in a more professional approach which may even generate new business. Then use your free time well by having an afternoon pleasing yourself.

- In the evenings switch off technology and determine not to turn it back on unless there's an emergency situation which needs monitoring. Do relaxing things, like taking a walk, listening to music, reading a book, spending time with those you care about; all investments in those other important areas of your life. Sometimes even decline invitations and occasionally have a night off if you've been over-committed with social engagements. Then use the time to indulge, eat your favourite foods, have a relaxing bath and an early night.

Taking personal responsibility for your health and wellbeing, both mental and physical, gives you back control. After all, even airlines say in times of turbulence first put the oxygen mask on your own face. Then you're in a better position to help others.

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10 Steps to Spring Clean Your Creativity

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Walt Disney Company

According to Drs. Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, creativity falls under the values heading of "wisdom and knowledge." In their writings, found in their handbook of Character Strengths and Values, "Creativity is a cognitive strength of thinking that is used in novel and productive ways to understand and accomplish things. It is NOT limited to artistic expression alone." In other words, you don't have to be a musician or a painter to have creativity or to be creative.

My mind is always working. Even while I'm sleeping I've learned to keep a pencil and paper on my night table because on any given night I could wake up with an idea that I don't want to forget so I write it down in my sleepy state. I can't always decipher what I've written but the gist of the thought is there.

Sometimes I wish I could take a vacation from my mind, just leave it home and just breathe without wondering about everything there is to wonder about. It's not really a good idea for me to do this because I'd lose a very important part of who I am. BUT... What if I could spring clean my mind instead?

Recently, I volunteered to do something creative that I've never done before: work with a colleague to produce a virtual-workshop to present to our coaching community. Our workshop was on the topic of home business loneliness and we specifically centered our presentation on loneliness prevention strategies that exist with regard to the mental isolation and geographical isolation of running your own home business. This was very challenging for me because I had high expectations for my presentation and also had certain content criteria I had to meet. I got clear in my mind about what I wanted to present and gave myself a pep talk. My mind, my brain, my spirit, my creativity were all challenged and as a result raised in consciousness.

The short story is that the workshop was a huge success filled to the brim with giveaways, resource lists, hope and passion. The long story is that it involved a lot of research, practice time, re-writes and a spring cleaning of my own personal doubts. I found that anxiety and perfectionism are the enemies of creativity. I stayed with my objective to meet my participants' needs as well as maintain my passion for this subject. I needed to stay focused, creative and empathetic and curious.

The take away for me after stretching myself with this workshop is that everyone has the ability, capability and tools to be creative. We just have to clean out old notions of what creativity means and open our minds to what we can discover when the clutter clears away.

Where To Begin

"Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the 'creative bug' is just a wee voice telling you, 'I'd like my crayons back, please."

Hugh MacLeod, Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity

Where does one begin to spring clean the mind to discover creativity? I think it's important to know that at its core creativity is valuable. This means, "The created product and its creator have brought beauty, elegance and/or function into the world", so says Drs. Peterson and Seligman. They go on to say that "creativity is trait-like, meaning it's an everyday creative who can use objects to create something new from something old." For example: someone who rearranges furniture to create more pleasing aesthetics to a room and create better function, or the person that changes an ingredient in a recipe to make it their own dish. Creativity is and should be fulfilling. Creation on any level just feels good.

Just like when you get ready to spring clean your garage or attic, spring cleaning your mind to allow for creativity opens emotional doors to worlds you've yet to discover.

Tina Turner said it best when she said, "Sometimes you've got to let everything else go and purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything... whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it, because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out."

In order to gain perspective, ask yourself:

1) What is possible?

2) Who will this affect/benefit?

3) If this doesn't lead to the result I want, would I still be glad I took the time to work on it?

Your answers could be personal and in most ways should be. If you are going to benefit, if you are going to be positively affected, if this is important to you, then everyone around you will benefit as well.

Every day "creatives" leave room for curiosity, open-mindedness and critical thinking. Are you an in the box every day creative meaning you only seek creativity within the structure of your daily routines or an out of the box everyday creative meaning that you follow where your thoughts and ideas lead you whether it was on the t0-do list for the day or not? I am learning to be an out of the box every day creative by practicing it. I stay present in my daily agenda and goals, I do the creative things that I feel passionate about and allow myself to explore more deeply the things I am curious about, and I allow myself time to breathe and get clear so that I can be ready for the next idea to wash over me.

As scary as it was to create and deliver my workshop presentation, I allowed myself to enjoy the time spent on the research. I enjoyed the collaboration process with my colleague. The feedback from the participants was so much more than I could have ever imagined. The content was something I really resonated with and, therefore, it allowed for my own richness and passion to come through. Participants used words like empowering, uplifting, over-flowing. Passion and curiosity created content, content created interest, interest created exploration, exploration created creativity for out of the box research and open-mindedness.

Best- selling author, Michael Neill says,

"If we treat whatever stands in our way as an obstacle, we can bring the full creative resources of our mind to bear on the situation and find ways to get over, around, or through it."

Being scared was my obstacle and I am so glad to have found a way to get over it and through it. I am armed for next time.

What are some ideas we can all practice toward becoming more creative? To free our minds; to spring clean what we know and allow for the unknown to propel us toward new discoveries?

10 Stepping Stones to Becoming more Creative:

1- Meditation breathing: This allows for you to begin the positive open-minded flow of ideas

2- Visualize: What do you want? Get clear, see your ideas.

3- Stay present: Don't spring ahead or fall behind with your ideas.

4- Don't forget your funny bone: According to Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher of the successful book, "The Levity Effect", incorporate fun and humor into your agenda and project. Bring fun snacks, spin around in your chairs while brainstorming, tell a joke, keep fun toys nearby like silly putty, paper airplanes, etc., play great music. Lightening up, approaching from a fun point of view allows for out of the box thinking and powerful creativity.

5- Journal your journey: This will allow you to keep moving your thoughts and creativity forward and to not forget what you want to achieve without the pressure of cluttering your agenda or goals.

6- Get physical: Use warm up exercises to get you ready for the days' tasks even if it's physical tasks. This gets your mind, your heart and muscles determined and ready. It lets your happy cells and happy chemicals (endorphins) flow through you to feel energized toward your accomplishments.

7- Recruit: If your task is too big for just one person, ask for help. "The more the merrier" cliché applies here.

8- Time Out: Music breaks, food breaks, journaling breaks, walking breaks. BUT... don't sit too long or your momentum could suffer.

9- Step back, take notice: Allow for perspective and evaluation. Allow yourself to feel grateful for every tiny step you take toward your goal. Allow gratitude for your interpretation, your voice, your spirit.

10- Celebrate: Acknowledge your success by celebrating your every accomplishment. Creativity is a celebration, a great and wonderful, out loud reflection of YOU. Be proud and celebrate.

Inspiration To Get You Started

I recently came across a story that I think gets to the heart of creativity:

An Old Sioux Legend

In ancient times, the Creator wanted to hide something from the humans until they were ready to see it. He gathered all the other creatures of creation to ask for their advice.

The eagle said, "Give it to me and I will take it to the highest mountain in all the land," but the Creator said, "No, one day they will conquer the mountains and find it."

The salmon said, "Leave it with me and I will hide it at the very bottom of the ocean," but the Creator said, "No, for humans are explorers at heart, and one day they will go there, too."

The Buffalo said, "I will take it and bury it in the very heart of the Great Plains," but the Creator said, "No, for one day even the skin of the earth will be ripped open, and they will find it there."

The creatures of creation were stumped, but then an old blind mole spoke up. "Why don't you put it inside them-that's the last place they'll look."

The Creator said, "It is done."

In the very popular book "The Artist's Way", author and teacher Julia Cameron lists 10 basic principles of creativity. The one that resonates with me the most, the one that inspires me is her #4 principle: "We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to create."

The Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet, Thich Nhat Hanh says, "Every thought you produce (create), anything you say (write, sing, etc... ), any action you do, it bears your signature (creativity)."

Deepak Chopra writes, "The most creative act you will ever undertake is the act of creating yourself."

To all of these great and wonderful inspirational thoughts and words I say, never stop creating who you are and who you want to be. No one suffers for your intuition, your courage, or your curiosity.

Spring is a great time for renewal, regeneration, release. Clean out what is holding you back and get your creativity on.

Call to Action

What did you take away from the Old Sioux Legend?

How can you use this legend to spark your creativity?

What would you like to explore this year, this spring, that you have been holding yourself back from exploring?

I challenge you to spring clean your mind and explore the endless possibilities of what you see and what you allow yourself to find. All it takes is one thought, one idea, one spark and your big deep breath to say "I can do it."

https://ezinearticles.com/?10-Steps-to-Spring-Clean-Your-Creativity&id=8913587