Message From the Universe: Be Guided by the Traffic Lights of Your Life

"You are not on earth to make things happen. You are not on earth to spread the love. You are not on earth to make it a better place or to learn acceptance of the things you cannot change. You are not on earth to find your soul mate or your purpose. You are not on earth to put the needs of others before your own. And you are most certainly not on earth to suffer, pay penance, be tested, or judged.

Did I leave anything out?

You are on earth because in your loftiest state of being, perched high above the wonderment, at the pinnacle of your glory, you wondered what it would be like, even fleetingly, to believe in limits.

You sage,

The Universe"

There is no really any limits to your potential. We all ask ourselves:" What is my mission? What am I here for? What do I need to accomplish here in this Earth to fulfill God's wishes? Is there anything that I need to do so I can get closer and closer to fulfilling my duties as a human being? Where do I go from here? I am sure you have plenty more questions that you ask yourself on a regular basis and I am also sure that none of these questions could be answered. So what to do? Well, just live your life and not worry about what you need to do. It is believed that opportunities will arise that will direct you to what is your role for this planet. The Universe knows exactly how to align events the right way so it guides you exactly where you needed to be. If anyone remembers the movie "The Italian Job" with Mark Walhberg where around the end of the movie, the team was able to bring the Truck filled with Gold to a very specific destination where they wanted it by playing around with the traffic lights so they can detonate the bombs and drop the truck below the streets of Los Angeles and steal the gold. The same works with the Universe. It will change the traffic lights of your life and guide you where it wants you to be. So sometimes, when you are ready to travel that road at a hundred miles per hour, you might see a red light that will interrupt your momentum and require you to turn left or right, but that is OK, it is part of the plan. Don't get angry or depressed, and avoid road rage at all cost. Just follow the guided path and avoid any potential accidents that may occur.

We all pray to live a healthy and productive life. No one is immune to disaster. When it does strike, it can be painful for yourself and your whole family. So we wonder, if we follow the logic from this post, is sickness a part of these traffic lights? Are they meant to leave me at that stop light and keep me there or change the direction of my journey in life? Am I supposed to look at it as a sign that I need to change things so I can expect different outcome? What if I don't make it out of this sickness? Have I accomplished my mission and is this the end of me? You can go on and ask millions of questions and always try to figure out the best answers. There is no ultimate answers. It will depend on the moment you are living it. It will depend on what you did to make all these unforeseen events occurs in your life. As said, the best thing to do is to embrace whatever obstacles happens at any given time and just try to live in the moment and not for tomorrow or next week or next year. You need to live for TODAY and that is all. Everything else after today, you will figure it out tomorrow.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Be-Guided-by-the-Traffic-Lights-of-Your-Life&id=9587337

Why Meditate in The Morning

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” 

― Amit Ray

Hate Your Job: Here's What to Do to Find Joy Again

What should you do if you hate your job? Should you just quit? Find new work? Before you do so, you might be able to salvage the situation.

A caveat: The word work in this context means activities that energize you and give you reasons to get up every morning. The thought of getting to work excites you. In fact, you want to share your work with the rest of the world. The hours seem to fly by effortlessly when you are deeply involved and lovingly engaged in your work.

Does Your Work Excite You?

Once upon a time, my work (job) failed to excite me. Mired deep in a vicious cycle of lack of fulfillment and satisfaction, I felt stuck for years before I was able to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and start my own journey.

Years later, I would finally rise up and turn to the self-help industry for answers. The first step was a hard, honest look at myself: Am I truly enjoying what I am doing? Or am I just collecting a paycheck to pay for bills?

The answer would be the latter.

Learn More About Yourself

I realized that I didn't know myself well enough to answer the question on what I want to do. So, the first step was in learning more about myself. You can learn more about yourself, too.

One thing to consider is taking an aptitudes test with the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation. For a fee of around $675 to $750 in major cities across the United States, the Foundation will run a whole gamut of tests on you in the next day and a half to determine those aptitudes that come naturally to you and those that do not.

The idea is we tend to enjoy jobs which take advantage of our aptitudes. So if we know what they are, we can find jobs better suited. The Foundation will even make a list of suggestions on the vocations that are best for you.

The next thing is to determine your Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (INTJ, ENTP, ENTJ, etc). Knowing your Myers-Brigg type indicator (MBTI) will better help you in zeroing in on your career field. One book I have found particularly useful is Tieger's Do What You Are. In this book, Tieger walks you through discovering your MBTI, then goes into an in-depth discussion across all types on the characteristics of jobs that would be a good match. Of course, you also get a jobs listing.

Armed with this knowledge, you can also start using your aptitudes more in your current job. In short, you will know that if you do the work, then you will find the energy to do the work.

Look at Your Hobbies

Another place to examine what brings you joy is to look at your hobbies. What characteristics about your hobbies excite you?

If you like flying, is it exploration that brings you joy? Or, the technical aspect of flying?

If you like motorcycling, is it living in the moment that excites you? If so, find a job that lets you truly live in the moment, even if it means going into business for yourself so that you can frequently live in the moment.

If you find yourself writing in your spare time, then do more of it. Incorporate more writing into your current job or turn it into an entrepreneurship (as I did).

Entrepreneurship

If, after much introspection, you find it difficult to incorporate what you love into your current job, then it may be time to find a new job. If that job does not exist, then you may have the beginnings of an entrepreneurship. With the Internet and ready availability of information, starting a business takes very little capital. You have to start with what you have.

Start Today

When you learn more about yourself, you will know what makes you happy. Then, you can start doing more of those things that bring you joy.

In my own quest, I have come to realize that a business should help its employees evolve and become better people. Most business owners get this wrong and think that the role of the employees is to help the business grow. Remember this: People rarely leave jobs. They leave managers.

After much soul-searching and introspection I decided that it was time to move on. If you find yourself in a similar place, then the only choice sometimes is to move on.

So, make a decision to start your own journey of self-discovery. Along the way, you will find what brings you joy to your job so that you can make things better.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Hate-Your-Job:-Heres-What-to-Do-to-Find-Joy-Again&id=9395123

16 Tips to Brighten Up a Dark Day

There are a great deal of things that can darken your day. Maybe storm clouds are covering up the sun or you simply learned that your son needs braces that will cost more than your last automobile. If you need fast relief, have a look at these fast and easy treats for your body and mind.

Quick Ways to Brighten up Your Mind

1. Count your blessings. Cultivating appreciation makes you happier. Draw up a long list of things that you're grateful for and post it someplace where you can see it throughout the day. Tell somebody how much they mean to you.

2. Hang out with good friends. Connect with others. Invite a bunch of friends over to view a movie and eat popcorn.

3. Volunteer in your neighborhood. Support a deserving cause while you take your mind off your problems. Pull weeds for elderly neighbors or do fundraising work for a local charity.

4. Invest in others. Studies show that money can purchase joy when you invest it in others. Surprise your mom with a heated mattress pad to help her sleep. Or, go to your local fast food restaurant and buy some meals for any of the homeless in your area. Trust me, that alone will brighten your day fast!

5. Head outside. Experiencing nature raises our spirits. Have a nice picnic lunch in the park.

6. Learn a new skill. Adding to your achievements offers lasting fulfillment. Sign up for an online course or ask your next-door neighbor to show you how they keep their yard so green.

7. Laugh aloud. Smile wide and think of something that makes you want to chuckle. Watch funny cat videos on YouTube or think about the funny thing that took place at your kid's school play.

8. Listen to some positive music. Positive music is contagious. Put together a playlist of songs that make you want to dance and be joyful. Sing along with the band and notice how happy you begin to feel.

9. Pet your dog if you have one. Your dog is an excellent role model for teaching you how to put aside your cares and just live in the moment. Let him or her cheer you up when you're feeling blue.

Quick Ways to Brighten up Your Body.

1. Breathe deeply. Breathing has an effect on how you feel. Focus on the flow of oxygen going into and leaving one nostril. Follow your breath down through your throat and chest. Feel your stomach rise and fall.

2. Lower your shoulders. Scan yourself from head to toe. Open up any areas of tightness and tension. Draw your shoulders back and down.

3. Massage your feet. You may be cranky because your shoes have actually been pinching your feet. Kick them off and dip your toes into a tub of warm water. Dry off and roll a tennis ball around under your arches.

4. Try aromatherapy. Choose an invigorating fragrance like grapefruit or peppermint. If you're agitated, select relaxing lavender or sandalwood.

5. Move around. Exercise is a natural and advantageous stimulant. Accelerate your heart beat with some laps around the track or ten minutes on an inclined treadmill. You might even play a game of catch with your children.

6. Stretch out. Want a yoga pose that will perk you up? Sun salutations will do the job. To calm down, rest on your back and extend your legs straight up against a wall.

7. Rest. On the other hand, maybe you're dragging because you need more rest. Take a short nap and go to bed early so you'll be bright-eyed and fresh tomorrow.

Some days are gloomier than others, but you can be prepared for conflicts and difficulties. Utilize these pick-me-ups or develop your very own techniques that keep you smiling and content no matter what's going on around you.

http://ezinearticles.com/?16-Tips-to-Brighten-Up-a-Dark-Day&id=9449313

How To Maintain Focus - 7 Sure Fire Ways To Keep You On Track

Newspapers report that actor Eddie Redmayne "hangs up on phone's emails" ditching his smartphone in favour of an analogue handset to help him Focus on "the now" & "live in the moment". The constant stream of email's and social media alerts meant he was permanently glued to his iPhone during waking hours. Eddie was trying to keep up in real time at the expense of living in the moment causing him to miss out on the now.

Does this sound familiar?

What I find interesting is that I already came to this conclusion a few months ago. Feeling drained and unable to keep up with the daily onslaught of emails and social media news I started to limit my time online with varying amount of success. After persevering, I have managed to wean myself off Facebook, emails and Twitter for the majority of the day so I could Focus on what was happening around me.

You will need to relearn the skill of concentration and for some, it takes time, so be patient.

7 Simple ways to maintain Focus:

Time Chunks - Pomodoro Technique or Tomato timer is a brilliant way to keep you on track, set the timer, don't stop until you hear the bell. You can start with 10-15 minutes, working your way up to 25-30mins to complete the task.

Bite size chunks - Break large tasks into smaller more manageable pieces of work. Start with the largest, hardest piece first.

How connected do you need to be? - Can you turn off your internet connection entirely? if not then use sites or Apps that will block your access for a limited amount of time. Start with a few hours and work your way up to disconnect for the morning. 3rd party apps like FocusWriter or WriteMonkey provides a distraction free environment.

Wear Headphones - Figure out what's distracting you, it could be background noise at home or in the office - Try noise cancelling headphones.

Prioritize - List what you need to do, starting with the job which has the biggest impact for you or your company. It's often the one you don't want to do so make it the first job of the day - Eat The Frog. Remember the Pareto law of 20/80 - 20% effort will produce 80% results.

Energy Levels - They fluctuate during the day, note down (over a period of a week) when they occur. When has your focus or clarity diminished or you find you are starting to get distracted. Capitalise on when you are at your most positive/productive this is the time to do the job you hate. When you feel negative or unproductive it's time to take a break.

Lifestyle choices - sometimes we just have to take a step back and look at what we are doing. Take a close look at when you eat and what you eat. Breakfast is a must, but if you cannot stomach it then ensure you have healthy snacks to keep you going until you next eat. Get some sleep, switch off your devices an hour before bedtime. Maintain a regular pattern of 6-8 hours per night. Lastly, exercise it could be short walks or an hour or two at the gym but do something which gets your heart rate up and the waist line smaller!

If you are constantly distracted with anything (work/social media/family) it will take time to learn how to get back into the "now".

Start getting into the "present" practicing it wherever you are. You could be in the car listening to music but not really hearing it or in a conversation with a family member but have no idea what they have just told you.

I was beginning to miss out on important family matters simply because I couldn't Focus or pay attention. If you feel anxious the moment your eyes open and your work productivity (& income) has plummeted to an unsustainable level you need to do something about it.

The benefits of increased concentration, less stress and improved productivity have got to be worth the effort.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Maintain-Focus---7-Sure-Fire-Ways-To-Keep-You-On-Track&id=9291849