Happiness Quotient (By Vivek Bansal)

Recently we organized a group discussion in our Yoga Philosophy class at Rishikesh and the topic of discussion was, "how do you define happiness?"

When I saw the zeal and enthusiasm on their faces while discussing this topic, at that moment itself I realized, how important happiness is, to all of us. And also I could see, the process of expressing and sharing was making them so happy.

Then I asked them, which is that one topic, they would just like to talk again and again. Again interestingly, such amazing answers started coming - Food, Health, Music, Yoga, Travel, Adventure, Fun, Family, Relationships, Politics, Science, Statistics, Love, Life, God.

In other words, these are some of the things which we really enjoy in life and give us happiness. We all have different needs in our lives and most of those needs fall mainly into four categories - sensual, mental, intellectual and spiritual. When we meet those needs of ours, we find joy in life.

Meeting sensual needs mean, satisfying our tongue with delicious food, eyes with beautiful sights, ears with melodious music, nose with fragrant articles and skin with a special touch.

We all are looking for very satisfying relationships in which we want to love and trust and at the same want to be loved and trusted. Emotional fulfillment is one of the most important aspects of our mental needs.

Most of us are too absorbed in our own self and often this self-absorption leads to depression. Psychologically, most depressions are a result of thinking too much about one's own needs, interests, and concerns. When we start focusing on what will really make others happy, we are left with no time to think about our own happiness.

We need to learn giving happiness to others, when we contemplate on the needs, interests, and concerns of others, we come out of our self-absorption. Psychologically, most depressions are a result of thinking too much about one's own needs, interests, and concerns. In fact, those who live thinking about the needs, interests, and concerns of others become icons for the world.

Our small efforts in giving happiness to others, come flooding into our lives in the form of happiness that others try to give us. It's exactly like a small tidal wave of the ocean becomes a tsunami outside the ocean.

When we focus on others' happiness, people get helplessly drawn toward us and what we get is a lifetime of an exponential growth of mutual happiness.

This is Happiness Quotient - HQ, it is about how much happiness we give to others. The more the HQ, happier we will be.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Happiness-Quotient&id=9857986

Finding the Light at the End of the Tunnel: Three Key Steps to Living a Happy Life

We all go through many dark tunnels during our life - some of them seem longer, others shorter. And even if there is always light at the end of a tunnel, we often get sucked back into darkness as soon after we have seen the light. This experience often causes frustration, depression and pessimism, and it drains our physical and mental powers. On the face of it, we naturally ask ourselved: When are we finally going to be able to enjoy life? When are we going to see the light at the end of the tunnel and keep it as a permanent experience? When are we going to be happy?

The answer to all those questions is a simple one, yet not necessarily a comforting one: We just don't know! But more importantly, we shouldn't care. In fact, we should not necessarily be so desparate to reach that light at the end of the tunnel, either.

Why? As we have already heard over and over again, it should be all about the journey, not about the destination. For our final destination is, of course, Death. Death itself can be seen as light but note that once you reach that light, there is no one there to enjoy it. So instead of looking desperately for the light at the end of the tunnel, we might as well enjoy the process of going through the tunnel itself. In other words, instead of waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel, we need to put light IN the actual tunnel.

Importantly, even though dark tunnels are always going to be part of our journey, it is absolutely in our power to illuminate them and make the journey an enlightening one. Here are some of the best practices that can help us do that:

1. Be present. Stay committed to yourself and your life the way it unfolds. Acceptance is a key transformative power. You can't be where you want to be. You can only be where you are. Face it, accept it, and embrace it.
2. Be grateful. Find joy in small things and ordinary everyday activities. Open yourself up to the beauty around you.
3. Be of service. Shift your focus away from your sorry self, your drama and problems. Help solve someone else's problems. This will elevate your thinking and illuminate your existence with meaning and purpose. Your tunnel will automatically light up.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Finding-the-Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel:-Three-Key-Steps-to-Living-a-Happy-Life&id=10373936

Total Confidence - Myth or Reality

So you want to be totally confident do you? You want to be 100% confident 100% of the time?

This is a great aim, but my question to you is:

Is Total Confidence a myth or reality?

Can you really be 100% confident 100% of the time? Is such a goal realistic?

It would be wonderful to be totally confident wouldn't it? What sort of things would you do? Where would you go? Who would you go with? What would you possess? If only you felt that strong.

I've read an awful lot on confidence and practiced countless techniques, and do so every day. I've seen my confidence grow and grow. I've written articles and books on the subject and talked with people and coached people with regard to confidence, and my answer is...

Yes - it is possible.

I've now got a confession to make. Despite all the above and all my years studying and practicing confidence, I still don't have and have never had Total Confidence. It has eluded me so far, and I think it will take me a life time to achieve it. If you want Total Confidence it will take you a lifetime too.

Sorry about the bad news.

But I've also got good news for you.

It really doesn't matter that it will take you a lifetime of work, studying and practicing confidence to achieve it. The key words here are - it doesn't matter.

Why doesn't it matter?

It's because you don't need Total Confidence to

- feel better about your life,

- enjoy life more, or

- achieve what you want.

All you need is more confidence. And that's exactly what you will get the moment you start out on your journey to Total Confidence.

How do you start out on this journey? You simply decide that you'll commit to:

- being a lifelong student of confidence.

Having confidence does not come about by using a quick fix, though there are many tips and techniques that will give you a short-term boost. Having Total Confidence comes from using techniques that build a:

- Solid,

- Deep seated,

- Strong and

- Unbreakable confidence.

And using these techniques over - a period of years. Yes I said, years.

Don't despair at this, because as soon as you start studying confidence and putting the lessons you learn into practice - as soon as you start this, your confidence will increase.

Then with each subsequent bit of research you do, and each time you do a technique - your confidence will get stronger and stronger. The more you do and the longer you do it the stronger your confidence will get.

There is no short cut. It will take hard work. It will take a long time. But as any increase in confidence will benefit - every area of your life, and I mean every area. It is well worth it.

How confident you will be in five years' time is down to you. Five years' time will definitely come around, and how strong you feel, and how much Total Confidence you have will be up to you. How much studying and practicing of confidence techniques will you have done over the next five years?

So start right now. Just do a web search on confidence tips. Read the article. Take one of the tips - and do it! It's as easy as that to get started.

So to conclude - Total Confidence - myth or reality?

It's a reality and well worth pursuing, but while it will take you a lifetime of work to get Total Confidence, you'll get the benefits straight away, as soon as you start out on your journey to Total Confidence.

And the biggest single step you can take to ensure you eventually get Total Confidence?

Commit today, right now, to being a lifelong student of confidence.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Total-Confidence---Myth-or-Reality&id=9691089

My Experiments With Regulating The Anger (By Ketan T Bhatt)

On most occasions, the anger is a charged and an emotive expression of either a dislike or a disapproval or both. Such an expression is predominantly in response to a perceived or an actual menace to one's ego and / or self-image. Anger is also defined as a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. In my definition, Mr. Anger is one of the children of Mr. & Mrs. Ego. Besides, Mr. Anger has many siblings & cousins, including Ms. Anxiety, Ms. Jealousy, Mr. Impatience, Ms. Restlessness, Mr. Intolerance, and Mr. Poor Listening. What a large family!

What does anger do? It essentially affects the person at three levels, i.e. emotional, rational, and relational. Whether qualified or unqualified, the anger is the least researched or rather, an ignored ailment that drains the person every time she gets angry.

About 18 months ago, I decided to undertake a series of actions for helping me first control my anger, and then cut it altogether. It was a conscious decision, but I was not clear about what path I would end up taking. I, nevertheless, began with a few small actions and continued increasing the list of 'to-do' and 'not-to-do' items over a period. As the time passed by, I recognized that controlling the thinking process is a powerful weapon to calibrate my temperament and, thereby, check the 'angry' aspect of my nature.

I have presented here a few actions that have yielded noticeable changes in my behaviour over the last few months. I am mindful that I have just initiated the journey and have miles to travel. Some of the actions are regular in nature, while some are event-based.

Slowing down

I understood and admitted that I am a restless person for no rhyme and reason. Therefore, the first action I took was to slow down in all my daily chores. These routines include getting up from the bed, brushing the teeth, sipping the morning tea, reading the newspaper, taking the breakfast & meals, dressing & undressing, driving, walking, typing, speaking, drinking water, and so on. This slowing down has helped me gain deeper understanding of the embedded anxiety or restlessness which actually has no basis.

An addictive morning walk

I have acquired this addiction by design. Now, I make sure to walk at least 4 miles every day morning before 08:30 am. I walk alone because it permits me to insulate from the 'crowd' and connect better with the nature & myself. When I walk alone, I am able to bond with the greenery around, the flowers' fragrance, the chirping of the birds, and the squirrels running around. As a byproduct, I have been able to improve my fitness and stamina. This is also the best time for me to ponder on myself and gear up for the day.

Turning more tolerant

Earlier, I was surely a short-tempered and an intolerant person. My superiors, peers, team members, and family members had shared their opinion on these traits in many instances. Over the last 12 months, I have practiced to be less short-tempered and intolerant. In the old days, if someone had cracked a joke on me, I certainly would have gotten impatient and would have been a little sarcastic on the person who cracked the joke. Now I am able to take it lightly and laugh at myself. The only way to be less short-tempered is to keep the mouth shut when you really want to fire all guns ablaze.

Reliving the childhood

This is one more potent weapon I have discovered. As we all would vouch for, a child does not have a functioning or an explicit ego. A child is innocent and does not bother about what others' think of her. A child by the nature's design wants to play and enjoy the life. Therefore, I have with all 'seriousness', made attempts to awaken the child within. During the morning walk, I dance for a few moments when I feel like, while listening the retro Hindi songs. When I am catching a cricket match on the TV, I clap loudly when my favourite batsman makes a hundred. Reliving childhood in a way has helped me detoxify.

Separating the self from the statement

In our in day-to-day life, we tend to shuffle up the content & the intent. For instance, when my spouse shouts at me for not placing the towel on the right spot, she is upset with one of my behaviours and not with me in totality. If I were to presume that she is upset with me in totality, I surely would have reacted and shouted back as I was doing in the yesteryear. In my earlier corporate assignments, when my bosses had yelled at me for an inadequate delivery, usually they were worried about the outcome of the tasks or projects. It was up to me whether to take their yelling at personal or professional level. I was reading it more personally than professionally. Now, I have become more sombre and learned to separate the intent and the content. I am better able to detach from the situation and decode the logic of what the other person is saying.

Accepting others just as they are

This is one more powerful warhead I have found. I have realized that it is far easier to accept other persons as they are than seeking to change their behaviours. The difficult aspect is to make minor moderations in my behaviours, while accepting others as they are. Nevertheless, these minor behavioural moderations are making me more versatile and down-to-earth. When I accept the other persons as they are, I end up earning their respect and goodwill in the most cases.

Converting reactions into responses

Earlier, I used to be more reactive and less responsive. Now I make concerted efforts to respond by listening intently. This allows me more time to understand. I then realize that, in many situations, there is actually no need for even responding. A reaction by an implied meaning has an inbuilt negativity and can be harmful. On the other hand, the meaning of the term response does not suffer from any such definitional bias.

Closure

Many of you would be post-graduates in the discipline of the Anger Management. I am a beginner, but with a clear idea of the terminus. I am fully mindful that my voyage is a longish one because I have to move beyond the symptomatic changes. I intend to alter my dysfunctional or less functional behavioural patterns into more functional ones. I will complete this journey because I know that when I arrive at the destination, there will be three distinct rewards, i.e. emotional, rational, and relational.

https://ezinearticles.com/?My-Experiments-With-Regulating-The-Anger&id=8629426

Body & Mind As One

If you stood there bare naked, would your eyes go straight to that extra belly fat you've been carrying around for a long time, or would your attention and first reaction go to all the parts you love most about yourself? We've all been there and done it and stand guilty as charged. We've trained our eyes and mind to almost automatically by default set our attention on our "flaws" every single time we look at ourselves. In theory, our body is fundamentally just made up of flesh, bones, blood, and skin that has trillions of cells residing inside with its respective functioning organs working throughout our whole lives for us. But in reality, our body is like a sacred temple we were supposed to take good care of religiously. Instrumentally, we were "built and designed" to work the same way. To have the five important and crucial main gifts that allows us to enjoy life no matter where and when we want to do so. We just got to tune in and be in harmony with them.

We have eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, mouth to taste and our largest organ, which is our skin, to feel texture and sensations. Yet we all take these for granted and choose to nit-pick on the most superficial part of us that more often than not, doesn't even serve a functioning purpose, let alone giving us pleasures of any kind. In fact, giving it attention just stirs up even more insecurities, doubts, and every possible negative feelings. Some want a higher nose bridge, smaller nostrils, bigger lips, bigger eyes, and the list goes on. In order to connect our minds to our body, we got to learn to come to terms with what we've got and embrace the rough edges. The thing about beauty is, it really lies in the eye of the beholder. If you can't even love yourself just the way you are, how can you expect anyone else to even begin to do the same? When you carry negative feelings for yourself and criticize "you" harshly, it'll reflect and bounce off right out of your skin quite literally. Beauty does indeed lies in the eyes of the beholder and that person has to be you. Because at the end of the day the world really sees you, through your eyes.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Body-and-Mind-As-One&id=9493771

Success Is Really Possible

All human beings have dreams and wishes. We all want something to happen in the future. These days, many of us turn back to look at the year that ends and forward into the year that is about to begin, and ask ourselves what it is that we did wrong and what to do better. Many propose solutions and tips and still others promise methods and strategies to stick to our plans... Unfortunately, most of those are not solidly based on anything but hope... hope that you stick to their proposals, hope that you don't give up or forget, hope that you listen to them now... even if for a short while. Real change only happens when properly undertaken. Real change is the result of planning and execution, not the product of wishful thinking. If you really want your wishes and dreams to turn into goals and methods, please, continue reading below...

Key differences between wishes and dreams and goals and objectives:

Wishes and dreams are ideas while goals and objectives are plans

Goals and objectives contemplate and consider what resources are available and which ones are necessary... Wishes and dreams don't even think about that!

Goals and objectives are set in definite terms which include deadlines and measures of success... Wishes and dreams are vague and undefined.

Goals and objectives identify existing and probable obstacles and look for the best use of combined resources to overcome them... Wishes and dreams don't even stop to think!

Bigger objectives include smaller, easier-to-reach goals and how they should be reached in an organized, logical way. Wishes and dreams are still undefined.

Goals and objectives establish the real steps to take, after studying everything above. Are you still wishing or dreaming?

Like everything else in life, identifying, setting and reaching goals and objectives is not something we know how to do through inspiration. We try to learn by imitating others but sometimes fail because there's no method in our endeavors. Resolutions lack the basic structure to become attainable. In order to be successful, certain methodologies should be applied. This is true of personal as well as professional goals and objectives. The same rules apply. Learn about them now. Stop just wishing and dreaming, and choose to take control of your desires by giving yourself the tools that you need to master this art. It really is something to be LEARNED!

Don't just wish or dream. Give yourself the chance to finally, truly enjoy life, ALL of it,

http://ezinearticles.com/?Success-Is-Really-Possible&id=9864097

Message From the Universe: What Are YOUR Priorities?

"Actually, when you think about it, everything boils down to priorities. Everything.

And that's a lot.

Tallyho, 

The Universe"

So what are YOUR priorities? What is it important for you to do today? Why would you do that one thing and not the other? What is your definition of priority? What may be a priority for you may be a secondary task for someone else. We all have our priorities, and in most cases, it's all selfish ones. Unless you have a sick sibling or family member to take care of, your priorities revert back to you primarily. You focus on what's important to you and focus on accomplishing that specific task. Hence, for many of us, we work with the same model where everyone is doing the same, which is what benefit them the most. Succeeding in your career is a priority after you finish college, where you are all enthusiastic to put your newly acquired school degree in practice. You then work your butt off for a goal that no longer become the same priority as it was in the beginning. Yes, you are still ambitious to reach your career goals, but the nature of the priorities has changed. You see things differently as life gave you new experiences, both success and many failures.

If you look a few years back, you saw the world with a different pair of lenses, while now, your view of the world is different and more substantial. You care about others above yourself, and you want to be more helpful to others and offer more of your time and energy. If you look at it from an outside perspective, these acts of service became your new priorities. Since it is OK to be a different person from who you were in the beginning, it is also OK to change priorities. Be more giving, enjoy life more, provide for others, give yourself more, look at life differently, and most importantly, live your life.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-What-Are-YOUR-Priorities?&id=9692532

Message From the Universe: Trying Is the FIRST Step to Succeeding

"Haven't I always said, knock and it will be opened? Prepare and the way shall be revealed? Speak and all the elements will obey. Act and I will, too? Laugh and be healed? Give and the floodgates will open? Wink and you'll be winked at? Dream and thy Kingdom will come?

Oh... Well, that's what I meant to say.

Wink,

The Universe"

If you don't ask, you will never get! If you don't try, you will never experience success! If you don't love, you will never understand what love is! If you don't risk, you will never feel FREE and exhilarated! If you don't access failure, you will never enjoy wealth! Should I continue? Fear is the SOLE element that will stop you from moving forward. Look at fear in the eyes and say you will beat it, say you will prevail, say you will move forward no matter what.

We are all guided by fear, because of uncertainty and how we are afraid of not knowing what will happen today, tomorrow, next week or next month. We try to anticipate too much, too quickly. We do not take into consideration external elements that can change your predictions and leave you disappointed. No one can predict accurately anything. It is based on a hunch, a feeling, intuition some might say. The key is to prepare yourself but not leave yourself depressed because things didn't happen the way you wanted.

Live for today, not tomorrow. No one has a clue as to what can happen the next day. It is imperative to enjoy what you are doing today, and never live life with regrets. If you want to do something, go do it. Don't say the next day: "Oh damm, I should have done that yesterday". Just follow your dreams, no matter what it takes to make them happen. It can be hard to know if you are on the right direction while working your butt off on a project or venture. No one will tell you if this is the right path to take. However, you will hear many say: "Don't bother wasting your time, forget about it. It won't work, or it's a stupid idea, or grow up and be responsible and just be complacent to what is happening in your life". I heard that crap before and I just ignored it. I couldn't care less to what others are saying and you should too. Move towards your goals, towards your dreams, towards your ambitions. Do not let ANYONE tell you otherwise. In the meantime, enjoy life and stay happy.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Trying-Is-the-FIRST-Step-to-Succeeding&id=9645432

Living in Your Head? 7 Ways to Stop Over Thinking

Living in Your Head?

7 Ways to Stop Over Thinking.

Ever wrestled or struggled with the problem to the point of really over thinking it? We all have. You have probably found it a futile exercise for the unsolvables in your life. Your mind becomes an echo chamber because the answers are not there! It's like a hamster wheel that keeps going around and around and goes nowhere. Here are seven ideas for you to consider the next time you find your mind repeatedly going over and over problems that yield no answers to life's questions and your personal dilemmas...

Number one. The 95% rule--95% of what you imagine never actually happens. Many studies have found that most of what you imagine never actually happens in real life.

Number two. Never go there alone-- your mind is a scary place, never journey there alone according my father-in-law Tom. The solution is to share your burdens and get a second or third set of eyes on your problem or issue. Ask others that you trust what they see as plausible solutions for the things you wrestle with.

Number three. Never, never try to solve issues after 7 PM--Your prime time for problem-solving is well past. Go to bed and get a good night's sleep and go at it again fresh in the morning. You will find that a good night's rest will always bring a hopeful and new perspective to life's problems. Sleep on it!

Number four. Stop contingency thinking--You have no need of plans B, C, or D. Go and write out the facts and wait before you plan going forward. Consider what you know to be true. Why waste your time creating contingency plans in your mind when you're not even sure they are needed? Stop and consider!

Number five. Go with what you know--operate only in the fact that you know. Do not peddle in what you suspect, imagine or negatively narrate. Keep on point and never base your life on pure supposition or lack of knowing all the facts. Just the facts chief!

Number six. The other oriented-- Begin to make your life focus on others and participate in making others lives better. You will be happier and not live in your head if you practice being other oriented and more selfless. Givers gain!

Number seven. Stop missing life--Start participating and stop missing out on life because of the tendency to live in your head. Your distraction with your issues will only cause you to be forfeit when it comes to actually enjoy fully participating in life. Joyfully participate!

Number seven and a half. Pray and surrender. Actually go to God and surrender in prayer and give it to Him. Release, abandon, and let go of that which you have no control. Get free of your baggage!

Point of all this is to stop living in your head and begin to be other oriented and to actually enjoy life based on facts. Stop struggling with issues that you have no control over. Make life fun and be present and joyfully participate once again and you will be happier and so will those around you.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Living-in-Your-Head?-7-Ways-to-Stop-Over-Thinking&id=9509905

The Number 1 Reason Why You Shouldn't Take Life for Granted

You are smug and happy with life. Or your life does not have many challenges. At any rate, do not take this kind of life for granted. Why? Read on to find out.

If you take your happy, non-challenging life for granted, Almighty heavenly force will soon start to test you and throw big enough challenges your way. He would like to see how you cope with them.

If you take it easy, the Almighty force will be merciful and let you lead your life your way. If you resist or can't tolerate it, this Almighty force will throw more challenges your way. So, remember to be sober and humble. These two qualities will keep you safe from all hard knock downs or challenges.

Remember who you are and what you were meant to do in this life. Work smart and contribute something to your world every day. Every person on this fertile earth should have a life purpose. Carry it out and most of all, love doing it.

Never say this or that will never happen to you. Anything in any way can happen to anybody. So don't be so sure of yourself. Stay calm and work what you love doing quietly. You will be blessed. Yes, that's right what you just read. I repeat: YOU WILL BE BLESSED.

You also need to love people around you- your family, relatives, neighbors, friends and colleagues. If for any reason you dislike someone, keep your distance and hardly communicate with them.

This is one thing you should always remember: Life does not remain the same for somebody for too long. If you are in pain either because of a loss or some ailment, things will get better. If you are too contented with life, the challenges will start to set in. So in that case do not be too harsh on yourself. You need to love yourself as much as you need to with others.

That way, you are fine. Life is all about joy and sorrow and they come by turns. So make sure you understand this philosophy of life and therefore, do not, by any chance, take your happiness for granted.

I do not encourage you to worry and rob your moments of joy. Just be in the knowhow change will set in and still stay in the present and enjoy. After all, every single person on this earth was born to be happy and enjoy life. So don't fret too much and I encourage you to go ahead and enjoy!!

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Number-1-Reason-Why-You-Shouldnt-Take-Life-for-Granted&id=9529887

How to Break Through Regrets in Life

Regrets are all too common. Doesn't it seem like they are just a part of life? Like we will always look back on our lives and regret how we lived it, and if we live a life without regrets we're somehow cheating the system?

I was reading an article on Business Insider on the most common regrets in life and I have to say, that was depressing. I had the feeling that the people who weighed in couldn't get past all of the things they had done wrong and there seemed to be a lack of appreciation for their lives.

It's one thing to say, "I wish I had traveled years ago, but I'm so glad I started when I did." But it's completely another to talk about what we missed out on by not traveling sooner or how traveling would have provided something we think we're missing.

There is a simple fact here and one I try to remember whenever I'm looking back on the past: we can't go back and change the past.

Isn't it silly to allow ourselves to miss out on life while we regret the past? If we're not careful, it can become a never-ending cycle. We keep looking back on our past, regretting the chances we didn't take or the mistakes we made all while doing the same thing in our current lives. When do we start living for today (or our future) and not our past?

The thing is, the way we lived our past created who we are today. That isn't something to take lightly. Our experiences give us an opportunity to learn and grow. Don't miss out on that opportunity by living with regrets. It's okay to say you wished you had done something differently, but work on replacing that with a blessing. What is the positive thing that can come from it? I know it's there somewhere, you just have to look for it.

A lot of people say, "I didn't have a choice." But that's not true. Whether we like it or not, we do have a choice. We don't have to stick with a job that doesn't pay. We don't have to stick with a job we can't stand. We don't have to stick with a job that doesn't give us the kind of lifestyle we want. If the job keeps us away from our family for months at a time and we don't like it, unless we signed a binding contract, we can quit today. If the job doesn't pay well enough for our family's needs, we can start searching for a new job today.

We can choose which things we keep as priorities. If we want to save money, we can choose to cancel cable TV or Netflix. We can choose not to buy that expensive vehicle on the sales lot. We can choose to buy a house that is well below our means rather than overextending ourselves financially. We can choose to relocate if the real estate market in our area has grown beyond a reasonable level. We don't have to rent an apartment for $1,500 a month. We have the choice to move to a less expensive area or state. We always have a choice.

Sadly, it's too easy to believe the lies that we are stuck where we are. Sometimes we need to stay where we are so we can learn the lessons that God has planned for us, but when we focus on those lessons and actually learn from them, He opens new doors. When we learn, we have a chance to grow.

What effect do regrets have on our future? What damage does it do to our beliefs?

Having regrets makes it hard to embrace the life we have right now. It keeps us dwelling on what could have been. If only I had stayed at that job. If only I had bought that house. If only I had avoided that mistake. If only I had said the right thing. If only I had gone after that degree.

Focusing on the shoulda, coulda, wouldas keeps us from enjoying all of the great things that are happening in our lives right now. It keeps us frustrated, irritated, or uninspired. But when we take responsibility for our actions and appreciate the things that we do have, we allow ourselves to experience joy and peace.

How much we enjoy life depends greatly on how we view it and how we see our level of responsibility. It is up to us, and we always have a choice. The choice may not be easy or what we expect, and it may require us to have a strategy (or faith!) and stick with our current situation until the time is right, but we do have a choice. Don't live a life full of regrets. Let go of the past and live for today.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Break-Through-Regrets-in-Life&id=9410375

Message From the Universe: Using Your Time More Efficiently!

"The best way to create more free time, is to take it.

You'll see.

Love, love - 

The Universe"

Time is a noun (or a verb, depending how you use it) and it is defined as: "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole". So how is time relevant to your own existence? You hear many say: "I don't have time for this or don't have time to relax" or this and that. Is someone THAT busy not to be able to just sit and relax? Is it a lack of time in their schedule that stops them from doing what they want OR they do not manage their time properly and can't really take advantage and live the life they want? We all have the same exact 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute. How can you make sure to utilize the time given to you and be more productive? How can you efficiently complete your tasks on a daily basis and still have time left to enjoy what you love doing? It can be difficult to master the organization part of your day and learn to be more effective with it. First, you need to sit down and analyze your daily responsibilities at work, hour by hour. Second, estimate the time that you spend talking to your coworkers about the game last night or what did you do the past weekend. Calculate the time spent on social media which in most cases, is not related to actual work and add up these wasted minutes or hours and determine how you can use that free time for something that you love doing.

It always feels like all through the day, you are doing something very important, for either work or home, which I do not doubt. For you to create time more efficiently, is to use the time that you already have and compress it into a zip file, just like you would do for large files that you send online and convert it into a .zip or .rar file. Use that extra space that YOU created in your schedule and use it the way you like. You did meet all your responsibilities at work and if you efficiently created more time for yourself, you still can move ahead at work and do more than is needed. If there is a will, there is a way. If you know what you want out of life, then go out there and be ready to tweak things a little to maximize your time and workload. There is no reason why you can't make it and succeed while still enjoy life. It is all about working smart, and avoid putting so many extra hours that aren't required to get the job done.

Learn to be more efficient and you will see how much more time you have in your hand. Don't feel guilty about that, on the contrary. Feel more accomplished, feel like you've done a great job compressing your time and having some available for your leisure. The main purpose is to free up some time for you to enjoy life and spend time with the people that matter the most. Work will ALWAYS be there, but to maintain a healthy relationship with your family and friends requires you to be THERE for them. Family and friends can't be compressed into a .zip file or anything. They are humans just like you that have feelings and requires quality time with the person they love and enjoy being with. Never ignore these requests or you will lose more than just time.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Using-Your-Time-More-Efficiently!&id=9486770

Body & Mind As One

If you stood there bare naked, would your eyes go straight to that extra belly fat you've been carrying around for a long time or would your attention and first reaction go to all the parts you love most about yourself? We've all been there and done it and stand guilty as charged. We have trained our eyes and mind to almost automatically set our attention on our "flaws" every single time we look at ourselves.

In theory, our body is made up of flesh, bones, blood and skin that has trillions of cells residing inside with its respective functioning organs working throughout our whole lives for us but in reality, our body is like a sacred temple we were supposed to take good care of religiously. (metaphorically speaking)

Instrumentally, we were "built and designed" to work the same way. To have the 5 important and crucial main gifts that allow us to enjoy life no matter where and when we want to do so. We just got to tune in and be in harmony with them.

We have eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, mouth to taste and our largest organ - our skin to feel texture and sensations. Yet, we all take these for granted and choose to nit-pick on the most superficial part of us that more often than not, doesn't even serve a functioning purpose, let alone giving us pleasures of any kind. In fact, giving it attention just stirs up even more insecurities, doubts and every possible negative feelings. Some would want a higher nose bridge, smaller nostrils, bigger lips, bigger eyes, and the list goes on.

In order to connect our minds to our body, we got to learn to come to terms with what we've got and embrace its rough edges and the thing about beauty is, it really lies in the eye of the beholder. If you can't even love yourself just the way you are, how can you expect anyone else to even begin to do so? When you carry negative feelings for yourself and criticize harshly, it will reflect and bounce off right out of your skin quite literally.

Beauty does indeed lie in the eyes of the beholder and that person has to be you. Because the world sees you, through your eyes.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Body-and-Mind-As-One&id=9493771

3 Ways To Work on Self Improvement

There are a lot of ways that you can start to work on yourself. People don't always think about that, but it truly is an important thing in life. When you have a good deal of self-esteem, confidence rises, and a lot of great things can come through. Millions of people find themselves stuck in a rut, not really knowing how to move forward, and find themselves needing a helping hand. Sometimes, the best way to get a creative spark is simple, work on self-improvement. How do you start? Well, the following 3 ways can kick start things for the better.

Write Down What You're Thankful For

The very first thing that you need to do is simple, start to write down what you are thankful for. Seriously, what do you love? If you focus on this, you will be able to narrow down the things that make you smile, and you can start to pursue them a little more. When you start to write things down, your mind will start to carry you to the good things that you have in your view, and you'll enjoy life a little more. This is something that many successful people do on a regular basis, and it's a beautiful thing, to say the least.

Start Exercising

There is no bad way to start exercising. Just get out there. You can even start after reading this, simply go for a walk. Walk around your block, enjoy a little bit of a push forward, and just let your body get better circulation and more. Exercise can help improve mood, help you gain a bit of confidence, and even give you a great deal of weight management. Research indicates that this simple step can help you with more than just looking good. It helps with improving mood, and so much more.

Learn Something New

There is a world of knowledge out there, and you can subscribe to it in a lot of ways. Improvement can be as simple as learning a new language. This alone will help your mind expand, and when you start to master the language, book a trip to a location that has this as the first language. For instance, let's assume that you wanted to learn Japanese. You start mastering it, and you then book a trip to Tokyo. Once there, use your new skills and meet new friends. Meet new friends, and you'll discover that you will feel amazing, a transformation that is hard to do any other way.

Changing your life is as simple as focusing on the above 3 elements. There are so many ways to work on self-improvement, but the above 3 can get you started. The purpose of focusing on yourself is to enjoy the beauty that is life. Just step forward, try something new, and enjoy greatness. These things will not come back void; they will bring a lot of great results. As long as you're willing to step forward, you will see that there is a great world around you.

http://ezinearticles.com/?3-Ways-To-Work-on-Self-Improvement&id=9410209

How to Really Really Find Your Life Purpose (and Do the Work You Love)

Break the rules. We have so many rules in life about everything. I say break the rules. Not the law, but break the rules / Arnold Schwarzenegger

Can we be honest?

You know how you’ve been struggling to find your dream job? Tried everything and still feeling crappy?

Well, It’s not because you didn’t find the right place to work in. It’s not because you have the wrong position.

It’s because you’re looking in the wrong place.

But you’re not alone.

Most people live their life without knowing better. They cruise on autopilot, letting their job slowly suck the life out of them. They feel bitter and lost.

But there’s a dead simple way to get your bearings straight. To find your life purpose. To do the work you love.

Shall I explain?

Working a Corporate Job Changes You in a Creepy Way

I used to work in a corporate job. I kept my nose to the grindstone. I wanted to save money for retirement because that’s the “right” thing to do. But living this way takes it’s toll.

I started daydreaming about retirement. Being only 30.

My mood became gloomy making me grumpy and miserable. Being around me sucked.

Then I remembered.

How it was before, how I was happy.

I didn’t want to become a corporate slave. To forget how to enjoy life as a free man.

I didn’t want to become institutionalized.

These walls are funny. First you hate ’em, then you get used to ’em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized / Shawshank Redemption

I knew there must be another way. To live a vibrant life. To be happy.

But I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid to step into uncharted waters.

The Kick-Ass First Aid Treatment that Saves You From Misery

When I felt hopeless, my wife came to the rescue.

She challenged me with a simple exercise. It changed my life. It helped me find and pursue my life purpose.

It’s extremely simple but it’ll guide you towards living fully. Towards doing the work you love.

What’s the exercise?

1. Write down what you’d like to do if money is not an issue.
2. Order the list by what you’re most passionate about.
3. Pick the top item.

When I did this exercise, my top item was helping people achieve their greatest potential. I had noticed that I felt best when I mentored others to enjoy their lives more.

I started gobbling up books and taking courses. I worked hard to overcome my social phobia. To sound my voice even when I was scared shitless.

Take the time to complete this exercise. And when you’re done, start acting towards accomplishing it.

It’ll be hard. Damn hard.

It’ll smack you out of your comfort zone. It’ll shake every molecule of your being. But it’ll be worth it.

It’ll change you. Drastically. You’ll feel alive. You’ll become happier than ever. Your friends will notice it. Your family will notice it.

Wouldn’t you go an extra mile for that?

Repeat this exercise once in a month. You’ll be surprised your answer changes.

That’s how you navigate to your greatest passion. Each time you perform this exercise you come closer to finding your purpose in life.

And when you find it you’ll know. Definitely.

The Secret To Doing What You Love

You can’t achieve your dream by staying comfy.

You can’t fulfill yourself doing what everyone expects.

Break a convention and naysayers start popping up from everywhere. They say the risk is too big. That you won’t make it.

But deep down they know.

They are ashamed to lack YOUR courage.

Stop listening to naysayers. And start listening to yourself.

Follow your passion. Cultivate it and learn about it in every chance you get.

Go ahead. Fire up your passion.

You know you deserve it.

P.S. How do you handle naysayers? Let me know in the comments below.

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/really-really-find-life-purpose-work-love/