Developing a Vision for Your Life

Here are 9 inspiring tips on how to develop a vision for your future:

1. Allow some time in your schedule to do nothing but reflect on your life. Having time to ponder how far you've come and where you're headed is integral to proceeding to develop your life vision.

2. Open your mind. Surveying your life so far might be a rather daunting process. You have to acknowledge fully what's happened to you and determine whether you're on the track you want to be on at this time.

• This process might be a challenge, but the end result could produce one amazing life that's tailor-made for you.

3. Feel free to jot down some notes. Think about what you've accomplished thus far in your journey. What goals have you established? Write them out. Doing so will cultivate more thoughts of what you've experienced in life and why. Are you still working toward those goals? Why or why not?

4. Be honest with yourself about any choices you've made that were diversions. When did you make a choice that prevented you from continuing with your plans at the time?

• Looking back now, what do you see as your biggest mistakes?

• Did some of those choices turn out to be wise? Why? Did they lead you down a path that you now see as more in tune with what you really want?

5. Set goals now. Make a new list of your current goals and wishes for the future.

• Maybe you want a promotion at work. What has to happen in order for it to occur? Create the mini-goals necessary to help you meet your main goal of getting that promotion. Leave nothing out. For example, if you need to complete two college classes, include those as goals.

• Check off each smaller goal you accomplish as you work toward the larger, overall goal. It will feel great when you do.

6. Post your life aspirations where you can see them. Put them on your mirror, refrigerator, Smartphone, electronic pad, and bulletin board. Put a copy by your favorite chair in the living room where you can re-read them often. In short, ensure your vision is right in front of you much of the time.

7. Create a vision board. Use photos from magazines and write inspiring words related to the photos you choose to place on your board. Your vision board is a graphic reminder of what you're working toward every day.

8. Decide whether you're living in "the right place." Does your current home location meet your employment, personal, and financial needs? Is it possible to achieve your goals there? If not, consider your options.

• Are you willing to move away? If so, include on your goal list everything you must do to get ready to move.

9. Make your life vision a priority. In order to live out the vision you've developed, you must keep your vision at the top of your priorities. When making decisions in the future, consider options that will support your life vision.

Developing your life vision will take time, reflection, and work, but the rewards will be great. Your life will be filled with passion and optimism once you develop your vision. Why wait? Start creating your vision today!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Developing-a-Vision-for-Your-Life&id=9761364

Message From the Universe: You Deserve a Lot More Than You Think!

"All right, the reservation's been made and a Beechcraft 400A private jet with experienced staff, advanced multimedia hookups for every passenger, and faux-leopard-skin sleeper recliners throughout, will be yours for any twenty-one days you choose. Just as soon as you arrange payment of US$368,750. In advance. Fuel, of course, will be extra. A lot extra.

Now, repeat after me:

"You have to be joking!

Faux leopard skin is so 'early 2000.'

What else do they have?"

Cool. Now stay with this perspective, because this kind of transaction takes place every single day for those who already have.

Your co-pilot,

The Universe"

Doesn't it feel good to have this fresh perspective about your upcoming abundance? This scenario is not exclusively reserved for the Mayweather or Trump or whoever else can afford it. Their thinking and perspective is what made it all happen. They believed in themselves that they can do all of what they put their minds into and successfully accomplished it. If they did it, why can't you? They are no different than you, well, maybe with a few more billion dollars in their bank accounts, but that is something you can also accomplish if you create yourself a clear direction. You need to first determine what you are passionate about? What do you personally consider doing something that you LOVE and not call it work? What do you want to do in life? What kind of change do you want to do with yourself first before you can suggest a change for the world? How do you feel when you wake every morning? Is it groundhog day for you on a daily basis? Are you just accepting things the way they are or are you taking action to seek for the best? Start by answering these questions before moving forward.

Once all questions are answered and you feel happy and accomplished, start prioritizing what you want to tackle first. Start digging deep within yourself and learn about who you are as a person. Do not worry about how your future should be or what color Learjet you want to order or if the seat should be or not in Faux Leopard skin. Throughout this journey, make sure you are having fun and are happy throughout the learning process. You will face lots of dilemmas and hurdles and once you go through them and come out a winner, you will always ask yourself what was the big fuss about that?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-You-Deserve-a-Lot-More-Than-You-Think!&id=9516229

If It Is Possible For Someone Else, It Is Also Possible For You (By Mark Huddleston)

I have found that anyone can do anything someone else has accomplished and more. In 1998 I experienced a quantum shift in paradigms. I went from disbelieving to believing. This took place due to me changing my philosophy. I shifted my pessimistic thinking to optimistic thinking.

It is not my intention to attenuate anyone's personal continuity. It is my intention to help everyone recognize the many things that may be impeding their growth, success, and happiness. There are many motivational speakers that educate people all over the world to becoming structured and successful.

Motivational gurus have helped millions of people find their inner power and purpose. There are many books out there that show people how to construct their dreams and make them a reality. There are other books that show people that their number one adversary would be themselves. The only competition people have in their life would be the competition they create for themselves.

Most people have no Idea how fortunate they are to be living in the United States right now. You are at the right place at the right time. This is still the land of opportunity, but you must become acclimated to new thoughts and ideas if you are to recognize the opportunities that surround you each and every day.

When motivational speakers address audiences from all around the world, they find that they all have the same thing in common, they all want something more in life. I feel at one time someone that they respected highly told them that it was not OK to dream any longer and they bought into it. This is a crime, for most of us use to dream of being doctors, nurses, race car drivers, police officers, firefighters, astronauts, Presidents, baseball, and football players. So, what happened? I feel that our parents stopped dreaming and since they never achieved their dreams they felt it was safe telling us that dreams are for the chosen people. The truth of the matter is that we are all considered the chosen people and we all were given the highest power ever given to a living creature on the planet. We were all given the power to CHOOSE! Now that you are aware of this fact, what are you going to do with your life. You can choose to stay the way you are, or you can choose to do something extraordinary with your life. It is never too late to make your dreams come true.

http://ezinearticles.com/?If-It-Is-Possible-For-Someone-Else,-It-Is-Also-Possible-For-You&id=9858241

What Is The Source Of Your Personal Value? (By Tim Connor)

Each of us has a self-perception of our own personal value. Some people use money, wealth and net worth while others use position, power or influence and still others us legacy, fame and reputation or status. But there are also many who measure or value themselves based on service, humility, generosity and modesty. Have you got an opinion which of these are better or more valuable to define you? Better still - which ones do you use as a self-measurement? Even better still (I know getting old) how do you think most people who know you reasonably well, would define you? Could be scary.

As a global speaker in front of over several thousand people every year I have often wondered what categories many or most (not just a small few) people would put me in or use to define me. Again, could be really scary. 

"So, Tim, where are you going with this article - I've got other stuff on my plate today". In a hurry? Maybe we should add that one to your definition or one of your categories or how about - impatient, hurry-er, never enough time person, workaholic, Type A - I won't bore you with others as I've either lost by now you or you are laughing).

OK to my point - we all have or use certain benchmarks, tools, definitions or values etc. we use to 'self-value-measure' ourselves - here are just a few to consider. Why not ask yourself how you measure yourself or how does this area influence your life - could be an interesting exercise! PS: I'm not going into a lot of detail on these - they are just meant to be emotional or mental triggers to get you thinking or self-evaluating.

Here's just a brief summary of a few of the more common ones;

-Who you are - Your birth date, where you grew up, education history, how you were raised, siblings, how you were treated as a child - etc.

-What you have accomplished - Education, degrees, inventions, businesses started, competitions, climbed mount Everest or done nothing significant - etc.

-Memberships - clubs, organizations, civic clubs, community organizations, school clubs or belong to nothing - etc.

-Your spiritual outlook - a Christian, agnostic, atheist, believer, Jewish, some other values, not sure - etc.

-Accolades or special awards - professional designations, special community awards or recognitions, retirement awards, military designations, political, special degrees or none - etc.

-Where you live - what state, city, special development, private lot, condo in resort city, farm or country - etc.

-What you own - size of your home, how many homes, how many cars, special toys (boats, planes, RVs) jewelry, wardrobe - etc.

-What you drive - vintage car, expensive car, piece of crap - etc.

-What you know - education, degrees, special courses, books you have read, special designations or awards, the size of your library - etc.

-Charities you have helped - or not helped, this one is obvious.

-What makes you happy or content - people, activities, sports, entertainment, family, travel, success, life in general or nothing - etc.

-How you have succeeded - could be financial, position, professional, age when you did it, a combination of accomplishments or accomplished little of value - etc.

-What you do - career, home body, mother, teacher, retired, volunteer, CEO, world traveler or couch and TV potato - etc.

-Where you are going - your future career, your next vacation, your next relationship, your next anything or your next nothing - etc.

-Where you have been - past failures, past successes, past mistakes, past anything - etc.

-Who you know - special friends, no friends, neighbors, famous people - etc.

-Who knows you - same as above.

-Your special skills/talents - music, hobbies, wisdom, talents, writing, artwork or you don't have any - etc.

-Your beliefs/values - what are your standards, benchmarks, expectations, desires, goals, dreams, fantasies, hopes, fears, worries - etc.

-Who you are with - your spouse, your family, your friends, your employees, your customers, your business partners your or you are alone and have no one - etc.

-Who you have helped/guided - mentored, coached, counseled, children, family, friends, employees, customers, students or no one- etc.

-What you are worth - your stuff, your toys, your investments, your experience, your knowledge - etc.

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-The-Source-Of-Your-Personal-Value?&id=9861436

Message From the Universe: Be Happy With What You Already Have!

"Often, the sooner you can be happy without "it," the sooner you will be happy with "it."

Boom, 

The Universe"

Do the best with what you have already. Never wait for something to happen so you can take action. Learn to be happy regardless of what you possess. We all want to be able to afford beachfront property, or exotic cars, or whatever else. We focus too much on the people who created themselves a fortune from scratch and admire them for what they've accomplished. However, we also tend to compare our weaknesses with their strengths, which is a battle you will lose all the time. You will put yourself down, feeling depressed and creating a sense of desperation to wanting to achieve the level of success they did. Stop it right there! Just STOP!. You want to start looking at yourself and focus on what you are good at, I am sure you can find something, somewhere. See how you can create yourself a success when you focus on these strengths. There is no reason why you should compare yourself to anyone, unless if they have a skill you want to learn and are passionate about. We were all dealt cards in life and we have to take advantage of what was given to us. We all have talents that hasn't been explored yet, so you need to figure out what they are. Be willing to think outside the box and do the things you wouldn't normally do. Take actions from the thoughts you created and never fear anything. Many fear their own shadow in life and always hesitant to take charge. This is your life, and no one else. You need to work on yourself and find the things you can excel at to create your own future.

Happiness starts from within, and no matter how much money you have or DON'T have, it doesn't really matter. Material assets can allow you to do more, obviously, but shouldn't be the primary reason why you should feel happy or stay happy. Yes, money does help alleviate some stresses in life, I totally agree. But no matter how much you make, if you are unhappy deep down in the core of your soul, no amount in your bank account will ever change how you really feel. Changing the way you think is a good start and will enable you to look and perceive things differently. Do not worry about how much others are making, just focus on what you can do better to make yourself happier. Your pursuit to happiness should be based on other important things than what money can buy, so as long as you don't know what makes you happy, you will never correct the original problem that resides within your soul. Open up your subconscious mind and allow only the positive nature of your life to take over and eliminate the negative thinking. Take action when thinking about creating a better life for yourself, because you are the ONLY one who can make that happen. No one else really cares as they are all dealing with their own challenges.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Be-Happy-With-What-You-Already-Have!&id=9457978

Goal Setting - Your Goal Is More Important Than the Route You Take to Get There

When I set out for my walk today, I had several specific goals in mind. I wanted to walk for about an hour, cover about 4 miles, and get some inspiration along with fresh air. Based on my goals, I created a plan. I would drive to a large wooded "reservation" near my home. I plotted the path I would take. I would start by walking through the woods toward a paved path, do the loop on that path, and finally circle back along the road to my car.

I parked my car and headed to the path that would take me through the wooded area. It's right next to a dog park. There were five people walking with their dogs along the path that I was about to turn onto. I don't have a dog and frankly, didn't want the company. How was it that, before I even began, my plan wasn't working out right?

Entrepreneurs and goal setting

The reason I'm sharing this story is because I see this happening every day to the entrepreneurs I speak with. Goals are set, plans are made, and then something goes wrong. They don't get the results they expected. They hit a roadblock They realize that an assumption they made was wrong. How does my experience today relate?

When I realized that my plan wasn't going the way I wanted it to, I had a choice. I needed to decide which was more important to me, my plan, or my goal. Since my goal was more important to me, I needed to find another way.

I decided to continue along a different path through the woods. This meant that I would not meet up with the paved path, and I wasn't exactly sure where the path I chose would take me. I gave myself permission to be comfortable in knowing that I would still get what I needed, even though my path had changed.

As I walked, I saw things I didn't expect to see, and these unexpected sights generated ideas I didn't anticipate having (including this article). The route through the woods was much rockier than the path I had initially mapped out. I lost my footing a few times and quickly regained my balance without falling.

As I continued, I kept thinking about how different the walk I was taking was from the walk I had planned. When I got back to my car I had walked for about an hour, covered approximately 4 miles, and I got inspiration along with fresh air. In other words, I accomplished exactly what I set out to do - I just did it in a different way, using an unexpected path to get there.

One thing that I know is that as a business owner you set many goals and make plans to get you there. Some are long-term, others short-term. What all of these plans have in common is that they never seem to go as you expect them to.

The important part of your plan is the goal you set, not the route you take to reach that goal. Along the way you are likely going to run into obstacles. You may find yourself lost, or not really sure where you're going or what you are doing. You may make a mistake or slip and fall. The important thing is to keep going, because that's the only way you'll get there.

To wrap this up I'd like to share something my dad and I always said. "All roads lead to where you're going."

It really doesn't matter if you make a right or a left turn along the way; at the end, as long as you keep going, you will get where you wanted to go.

What are you doing to keep yourself moving along the road that you're on?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Goal-Setting---Your-Goal-Is-More-Important-Than-the-Route-You-Take-to-Get-There&id=9386621

Getting Closer To Achieving Your Dreams, Reaching Your Goals

The magic trick you've been waiting for, right here in this article, read on. Remember those goals and dreams that you had last year, and the year before? Remember that list that you had, some called it the 'bucket list' but you call it your 'adventure list'? Yes, those lists, that's what I'm talking about. Remember those? How far did you get on those lists? Have you tackled number one? Have you gone down the list checking off your hopes and dreams and wishes, one at a time? Have you accomplished what you set out to do, about your adventure list?

Okay, so what number did you get to, after you tackled number one on the list? Listening. I'm listening. What's that you say? Kidding? No joke?

You haven't 'been there, done that'? You haven't tackled anything on the list? You haven't accomplished even one thing? Stop! Stop right there, even before you begin. Because there's a trick you can use that will help you tackle that list quicker than you have in the past. And there's a trick you can use to accomplish all the tasks on your list, one item at a time, and you will finally be successful in making a dent in your adventure list before another decade passes you by.

First, you must admit to yourself, and remind yourself that you do have goals, wishes, hopes and dreams and you do, finally, want to tackle that list and pare it down to size. Once you admit that to yourself, you are on the road to success. So, what's the answer to the problem? What's the answer to the problem of "procrastination"?

Sitting? Ready? Seriously, are you ready? If so, then here goes. You just have to do three things, that's all, just three things. And those three things are the trick, the magic to make it happen in your life, before another decade passes.

But, in order for this to work, you must adhere to the three things and not leave out any step at all. You can't just do two of the things. You will not be successful if you do just one of those things. You need to do all three of those things... and keep on doing them and you will be on the road to success, the success of finally tackling your adventure list, the success of finally really accomplishing things on the list. You will be able to sit down, relax, and say to yourself after it all, "I did it! I finally did it! I completed the first thing on my adventure list! Now, to tackle item number two on the list.

Enough of the pep talk. Here's the list, the small, tiny list of three things you need to do in order for you to accomplish everything on your adventure list (or whatever the name of your list is).

Pray about it.

Remove one item from the list and place that item on a brand new piece of paper. Now, you have a list of "one", that's it, just one item.

Examine that one item and take one single step towards accomplishing your goal. (All of this is explained below).

First, the reasoning behind the success of this method. One of the biggest helps that you will find, in life, is prayer, the power of prayer in your life.

So first by praying about it, you are bringing in the most powerful Person in the world (God) to help solve your problem. And then the practical solutions of making the list shorter (so that it doesn't overwhelm you) does really help you get more done. You look at your list and see that you have only one thing to do. That alone relieves some stress. And when you have less stress, you can do more.

Now, how do you tackle even that one thing that is on your adventure list?

Don't tackle it! That's right. Instead of tackling that one thing on your list, break the one thing down into steps. One adventure could be broken down into five, ten or even thirty steps.

Once you break a task or a chore or an adventure into steps, it is easier to get started, and it's easier and quicker to get that accomplished.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Getting-Closer-To-Achieving-Your-Dreams,-Reaching-Your-Goals&id=9386828

A Millennial Stops Giving Excuses And Gets What She Wants

This is Story #7 in the Mentoring Moments series — a collection of “wait until you hear this” stories (each told in under two minutes) from successful women of multiple generations. Stories for you to collect and share. 

Sarah Kunst is a Forbes Under 30 who should be in her 50s based on everything she’s accomplished. She’s an investor, a philanthropist, a writer and an entrepreneur. Her latest venture is Proday, a fitness app for busy people looking to spice up their lives and start working out with fitness celebrities and world-renowned athletes.

Sarah says she’s “A double minority, a black woman operating in the tech world.” But Sarah conquers that bias by finding ways to be “unimpeachably good” and not letting lame excuses get in her way of what she wants to do with her life. This is Sarah’s Mentoring Moment:

Midway through a self-pitying rendition of “100 reasons why I can’t do what I want to do with my life”, a friend stopped me cold with some true, and hard, words: “Your excuses suck.” He was right and I was offended.

But over the following years those words came back to me again and again. So often I’d tell myself that I was too busy for the gym or too tired to meet a deadline or couldn’t possibly apply for a dream job because the interview process was too long. We all tell ourselves these things, these stories that are often as elaborate as they are false. There are many external obstacles in life and many times we really CAN’T do something. But if physics aren’t at play, are we really as stuck as we think we are? For those of us reading this article, we have at very least eyes that can see, internet that connects, the ability to read and the knowledge and motivation to search out this advice. We are hashtag blessed. Approach life with the belief that your excuses suck and whittle them away until you confront what’s really holding you back. It’s the best way to move forward.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deniserestauri/2015/12/15/the-no-1-way-to-tackle-whats-really-holding-you-back/