Let Freedom Ring - With Freedom Comes the Power to Choose Love or Hate

I am fixated with freedom, but with freedom comes the power to choose. The freedom to choose love or hate; move forward or stay stagnant; to be victorious or be a victim; to laugh or cry; to see good in every situation or not. You choose. Without the power to choose, we are not free; the power to choose requires responsibility. Choice is like breathing; you cannot avoid it.

When everything is working in our lives, we proudly take the credit. But when the events in our lives are forcing us out of our comfort zone into a growth zone, we blame everyone and everything surrounding us. We are quick to blame that "big bad Goliath" for causing our problems. Often in the midst of trouble, we see our inner David as being small and unprepared for such a great challenge. We tell ourselves that after all 1 Samuel 17 really does not have anything to do with us. So exercising our power to choose, we choose fear. When we do this we have actually underestimated the strength of our inner David.

When life forces us out of our comfort zone, we are forced to come face to face with all that needs to be healed in our own lives. The murkiness that we have covered up for such a long time begins to ooze into our world requiring us to finally conquer it before we can move toward our goals.

Coming face to face with what we fear is hard work but it is necessary if we are going to fulfill our destiny. Where to start is what causes the most angst. So I advise starting where you are. Using the power of your inner David is a great beginning.

First, make the decision to do whatever it takes to conquer your fear. Without out a decision to move forward, no matter what, you will never meet your success.

Then create a plan for your new life. How many hours, days will you work? How will you spend your evenings and weekdays? What are your new friends like? Where will you vacation? If these images are difficult for you to maintain, then create a Vision Board, but remember Vision Boards are no substitution for taking action. Vision Boards are useful for helping to organize your thoughts and ideas.

Next, identify all the things you have for which to be grateful. When you are in the midst of a challenge, we complain about what is wrong with our life. It is doing this time of crisis that we must remember just how many good things nestled in our life.

Forgiveness is one of the most precious gifts we can give ourselves. Before we can move forward negative emotions must be resolved. Come to terms with any anger you feel about any event, circumstance or person. This is a radical step, but choosing to find the good which is the lesson buried in the midst of your anger will reveal what story to which you are tied. Once identified, you can take the steps to unbind yourself from the worn-out story.

Now move your vision into action. Make a list of actions that must be taken. You must take 3 to 5 actions a day to achieve your goals.

Now untie yourself from anything holding you back. Go forth and create.

Remember, life is too short to drink cheap champagne. Live the life you have imagined. Dream Big!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Let-Freedom-Ring---With-Freedom-Comes-the-Power-to-Choose-Love-or-Hate&id=9744552

Compassion Is the Answer

Our world is in a serious state of compassionate deficiency - affecting people, animals and the environment. But apparently the consequences don't matter, because they aren't affecting you. Our world is stuck in the mindset that if we have neither seen nor eaten a strawberry in our life, that strawberries therefore must not exist (despite the clear evidence that they in fact do).

Many people argue that they are compassionate beings, that they are aware of and empathise with the feelings of other living things. However, this is where empathy and compassion are different. To be compassionate, these empathetic feelings going on inside your head must coincide with the feeling to do something about it - there is no use, for example, feeling empathetic towards someone who is about to get hit by a car, then not actually taking any action to warn them about it.

I think our lack of compassion is driven less so by hate and more so by plain indifference - and I am definitely guilty of this. When hearing facts such as 795 million people don't have enough food to live a normal life, or that our worlds land ice is decreasing by 281 gigatonnes every year, initially I am concerned. But within hours, if not minutes, these facts have been disregarded and I have entered a sense of indifference. When I take some time to revisit and process issues such as these, I am disappointed in myself for not having the startling truths on my mind 24/7, and for going about my day worrying about stupid problems such as my phone battery draining every time I use Snapchat.

However, I do not believe we are instinctively indifferent about our worlds biggest issues, but that we are struggling to process the connection between the statistical numbers and their reality. 795 million people is the same as the whole population of New Zealand being multiplied by about 172 and then left hungry (Fun Fact: 70% of US's grain is being fed to farmed animals, which is enough to feed 800 million people). 1 gigatonne of ice is equal to 1 billion tonnes - that means 281 billion tonnes of land ice is melting per year. This statistic is clear evidence that our world temperatures are rising, yet many still believe global warming is a hoax because they live in a country that hasn't been outwardly affected by it yet, or because it just so happens to be a chilly day in their neck of the woods. Our lack of connection to numbers is driving our indifference, which is driving our overall lack of compassion to the world around us. I can't help wonder if the media is partially to blame for this? Because I know for sure there was no trouble connecting numbers with their reality after the Paris attacks in 2015. If concern for issues were being more highly publicised, concern would be normalised by the public because the public always has, and always will, mimic the media.

In my opinion, indifference is worse than hate - and our current worlds incapability to process situations that don't affect us directly will eventually bring us to our doom. Although it is really important to be aware of the consequences brought on by our indifference and lack of compassion, in order to make a change we must draw our thoughts away from what we lack and focus on what we want. We attract what we think about, so if we focus on what is written below we will begin to attract more compassion within ourselves and eventually around us, whereas if we continue to focus about our growing indifference and absence of compassion, we will only be attracting more.

We want to be surrounded by compassion because it will 

reduce judgement towards those in our community 

We want to be surrounded by compassion because there will be more equity for minority groups 

We want to be surrounded by compassion because families struggling to make ends meet in our own country could have a brighter future. 

We want to be surrounded by compassion because animals will no longer be bred and raised with their sole purpose being to satisfy the greed of people. 

We want to be surrounded by compassion because Syrian children could grow up the risk of being bombed. 

We want to be surrounded by compassion because future generations need a safe planet just as much as we do. 

We want to be surrounded by compassion because it is the beginning of the answer.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Compassion-Is-the-Answer&id=9610824

5 Mental Habits That Will Increase Your Happiness

In the last 20 years, science has learned a lot about the links between spirituality and happiness. Studies on spirituality, specifically on certain spiritual or mental qualities like altruism, generosity, faith, hope and gratitude, have shown repeatedly that they increase our level of physical and mental well-being.

Spiritual practices that incorporate these positive mental qualities and habits increase our happiness while practices that incorporate negative mental qualities and habits such as fear, hate and suspicion lead to the opposite effect.

These findings provide the scientific basis for good spiritual practices throughout the world. All major religions advocate these healthy spiritual practices. On the other hand, deviant religious practices advocate the negative mental habits and qualities, and it is in this way that we can recognize them as deviant.

Here are five positive mental habits that will increase your happiness when you put them into your daily practice.

1. Savor the present moment

The ability to savor the present moment, such as savoring the food you are eating or the moment you are sharing with your child, requires a certain degree of mindfulness of the moment. This habit of savoring the present moment leads to a sense of awe and connection, a feeling of joy and contentment -- all positive emotions that increase happiness.

2. Be thankful for the good things you get

Gratitude is an attitude that rewards you repeatedly. Those who have the habit of being grateful for what they have and what they got tend to find more joy and contentment towards life. Being grateful also makes one feel at ease - a sense of being at peace with the world. A mind of gratitude is open, expansive and relaxed. All these increase the level of happiness experienced.

3. Aspire towards a meaningful goal

Having a sense of purpose in life leads to hope, happiness and a sense of optimism, so set yourself a worthy goal. The goal need not be huge or materialistic. It can very often be immaterial, such as being of service to others, being a good role model for your children, or simply spending quality time with your family. You can start off with a small achievable goal. Once you have attained this goal, you can gradually increase the challenge and aim for bigger goals. Know that if you can do a small task well, you can also do a big task well. All it takes is planning and persistence.

4. Give generously

Give or share generously with others. Regardless of how rich or poor you are, you can always give or share things, skills or services. There are many things you can give that will not cost you a lot, such as giving your time to listen attentively to a friend in need, to console a grieving person or to encourage a disheartened friend. Genuine giving such as these again leads to a mind that is open, expansive and relaxed. It leads to a sense of having, not lack. It leads to a sense of purpose and self worth.

5. Empathize

Empathy means being able to put yourself in the other person's shoes. A person who can empathize well finds it easy to understand the sufferings of others. They are also more willing to listen and help. Empathy has been found to be an important aspect of emotional intelligence. It helps us greatly in our interaction with others.

Science has shown us that people who consistently practice any one or more of the above positive mental habits daily are happier people. Science has also shown us that these skills can be learned. So start learning and putting them into practice in your daily life today and increase your level of happiness.

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Mental-Habits-That-Will-Increase-Your-Happiness&id=9480362

The Realistic Attitude

The most powerful thing for good or bad we can have, is an attitude. A good attitude that searches for the good in everything is realistic. Seeing evil in all things and projecting pessimistic evil onto everything is not. Indeed, the above two statements after my first sentence could simply be seen as a simple opinion, but as I will explain, reality as well as learning from experiences and understanding is simply an attitude. As fear and hate are attitudes of reality, so are love and understanding. Attitudes in reality are not just perceptions. They are the determination of what our lives are made of.

Once I compared the lives of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Thomas Carlyle, two men with the same philosophy with opposite approaches to it as case in point. Emerson saw life harmoniously from within himself, Carlyle saw life as a giant mess we have to clean up from the outside. If you read their works and biographies, their lives reflect these realities. Of course, in the end, Emerson is better known and better understood than Carlyle generally because of the approach of Emerson that agrees with my own in that attitude determines what happens with a life good or bad and that determining reality for yourself makes it so from the inside out, not the outside in.

In short, and in reality, our attitude is our power or our weakness.

Proper confidence is the best, but, arrogance, fearful boasting, overconfidence or under confidence is the worst, because either way that is wrong, abilities are not seen realistically or in a balanced way that works to make success.

Sober, honest reality is where it is at because of its import to genuine, lasting success that works. Indeed, it does not go to the one with the natural ability without work ethic, but to the one who persists and makes perfect and makes ideal in the face of everything. Real failure is only letting yourself down by quitting too soon anyhow or even fearing to genuinely attempt or persist until you do achieve. Real success is indeed the opposite combined with a realistic balanced approach with that persistence and perseverance that makes the "special person" what they make themselves.

Genuine weakness and corruption are just an excuse, and start with a bad attitude. Sure, that is a blunt statement. But, consider this reality: A good attitude and virtue are always chosen by yourself also and that also starts with an attitude too. The attitude is where it starts and it all starts nowhere else.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Realistic-Attitude&id=9342432

Richard Branson on Finding Your Passion Project

Q: I have been told many times over the years, “You have a great attitude and drive, and an excellent mind. You should be an entrepreneur.” But what the heck should I do? I have limited funds and resources. Everything that looks like promising, someone else is doing or has done. I am unsure how to make an idea new or improved, which is frustrating. So what the heck should I do? -- Daniel Armstrong

“What the heck should I do?” is a question every entrepreneur asks themselves at one point or another. If you tackle the problem with an open mind and a can-do attitude, it is also the question that will launch your career.

Let’s get started. Grab a pen and paper (always have your notebook handy -- you never know when the next great idea will come to you, and if you don’t write it down, it may soon be gone forever), then answer these two questions:

Question No. 1: What Do You Love?

Make a list of all the things you are passionate about or that interest you. It doesn’t matter if these items seem trivial or random -- something on your list could spark a great entrepreneurial idea.

Now look at your list, and think about the industries and markets it touches on. Are any of them ripe for innovation? Think about the companies in those areas whose products and services you like. Most established businesses have some shortcomings -- their customers are just waiting for a better alternative to arrive. Whether the businesses involved are small local operations, online superbrands or global corporate giants, if they’ve stopped innovating, you have an opportunity to seize the initiative. Sectors where companies have gotten too comfortable and have stopped putting customers first are particularly ripe for disruption.

Also look into starting up a related business. In hotspots like Silicon Valley, each successful startup seems to spawn other enterprising ventures that make the initial idea even better. A great creation like Twitter can lead to dozens of other good products, such as the video tool Vine and the scheduling service Hootsuite.

So rather than being discouraged when you find that someone is already acting on an idea similar to yours, welcome the competition. Pick specific examples of what you think their enterprise is doing brilliantly and try to learn why it works so well. Crucially, also look for areas where the business is performing less well, and work out how your startup could improve on things.

Get in contact with the business’s founders and ask plenty of questions. You’ll be surprised to find how many successful entrepreneurs are willing to give advice and guidance -- they were all running startups once!

Question No. 2: What Do You Hate?

Next, think about things that annoy, confuse or even anger you. If you ran the world, what changes would you like to make? Again, do not censor your thoughts: Just write!

Especially think about moments when you’ve experienced frustration. Whenever I see something that doesn’t make sense, like shoddy service on an airline, I start to think about how it could be improved upon. Many Virgin Group businesses have been sparked by our exasperation that another company wasn’t doing something well.

As a customer, you have sometimes been disappointed when businesses didn’t deliver on their promises. Now, as an entrepreneur, you are in a position to build a business that fixes some of those problems. The company that results will make people’s lives better, and you are more likely to be passionate about its purpose.

Next Steps

Now look at your lists. If nothing immediately comes to mind, take some time out from your day to lie on your hammock and think about how you can act on those items and make the world a little bit better.

Next it’s time to start testing your ideas. You need to be brave and must accept that there are a lot of risks. Even the most carefully laid out plans don’t always meet with success, so it’s often better to put your product or service out there and let some prospective customers try it out.

While you’re in the testing and planning phase, go back to all those people who suggested that you become an entrepreneur and ask them for specifics about what they see as your strengths. Tell them about your ideas and ask for honest, raw feedback about your next steps. I do this too -- I have always discussed new business ideas with my friends and family before turning them over to lawyers and investment experts.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your loved ones for support -- you’ll need it, and they’ll gladly give it. With their help, I’m sure you’ll be able to call yourself an entrepreneur very soon. Good luck!

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233942