Improve Your Thinking and Improve Your Life!

You have the ability to improve your quality of life. It starts with the way you think. The way you think plays a major part in how you look at life - and yourself. Your very thoughts play a major role in how you perceive just about everything. This article will give you some tips on how to improve your thinking and be more productive.

1. Commit to thinking positively about your outcomes. Think pleasant thoughts about the upcoming day and even the days ahead. If you repeat positive affirmations to yourself daily, you will see results. You must keep an upbeat state of mind and soon your actions will follow.

2. Take time out for yourself and meditate. Clear your mind for 15 or even 30 minutes a day. Use this time to think about pleasant moments. Visualize what you want your new life to be like. It can even be a getaway to serene place. This can be a fun, relaxing, and rewarding exercise and can become one of your favorite rituals.

3. Approach your desired goal with passion. Passion is a strong emotion. Think passionately about what it is you trying to achieve. Being passionate will surely get you involved in your project. A passionate drive gets results. If you're not passionate about it, then how else will you achieve the desired results in the expected time for the goal to be completed? Always use a passionate approach to achieving your goals.

4. Remain thankful for what you have already. You have been given life and that's all you need to get where you're trying to be. Always show gratitude and you may be surprised to know that you are richer than you think. Thank God that you are here and know that someone Higher loves you.

5. Remain optimistic. Have you ever seen the example of the half glass of water? And then you were asked if you saw it as being half full or empty? If you see it full, then you are optimistic. Find the good in every situation -- no matter how bad it seems. There is an upside to every situation.

6. Remain assertive in your thinking. You are now your own boss. This is a new life you are trying to acquire! Give yourself the commands that will get the job done. They are the things to do today to achieve those goals you have in mind. Get cracking and don't forget to pat yourself on the back when you've completed each task. (You're closer to your goal!)

7. Think healthy thoughts. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body. Embrace thoughts of having a healthy body. Treat your mind to the finer things like healthy food. This way it can work a lot better for you in achieving your goals. If you do it long enough, you can think your way to the body you want.

We act according to our thoughts. If you are thinking about a better body constantly -- then you tend to do something about it. You think about the body you want first. After that, you think exercise. You see, the people who experience dramatic workout results have one dynamic principle working for them. They have seen their dream figure. Your body will conform to your thoughts and actions.

8. Stay on a "happy" frequency. Do whatever makes you happy in your mind. Think about whatever makes you happy. Make happy statements. This could be as simple as you telling yourself, "I am happy today!" Smile when you say it. Repeat this 10 times and you will experience a genuine smile.

9. Show kindness and respect to others. This is a divine rule. You will encounter people who are not having a great day. You just might be the one to change that. Offer a kind word to someone who is down and out are not feeling very happy. Sometimes, they just need to know that someone cares. There may not be many financial rewards in doing this; but the personal rewards are priceless.

10. Always think highly of yourself. Be in the "I can do" state-of-mind at all times. You can accomplish many things with your mind. Remember, "what the mind can conceive -- it can achieve!" You can do whatever you put your mind to. It may take a little re-training, but it's nothing that your mind can't handle. Think of yourself as being the person who can and will get it done.

Practice these tips and you will become a more productive person. You will amaze yourself at the feats and lives you may possibly change. Be the best you that you can be. Use your mind to get whatever you want out of life.

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Metaphors Gone Wild: Madness and Hope

CAN YOU DO CAMUS? 

Albert Camus once asserted, "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer." It is this belief in a metaphoric summer's return that sustains us when all around us seems bleak. Why does one person succumb to the freezing of hope and another recognizes the temporary nature of a desolate mental or emotional scene? Ideally, we can find within ourselves the strength to define temporary obstacles to happiness as less-than-permanent roadblocks on our life's path.

USE THE ROI FORMULA 

Those who depend on their own invincible summers to sustain them understand that crises--actual or anticipated--can often be converted into opportunities. In the financial realm, "ROI" refers to a "return on investment." As we use it here, it's a means of maximizing the return on the investment you have made... in yourself. The investment involves thinking positively, creatively, and faithfully. It is an investment not so much of money as of time and effort. It is a pledge to view a negative experience in the most favorable light possible. Optimists are determined to find the silver linings in each cloud; they are persistent in their efforts to turn lemons to lemonade; they are adamant in their belief that if you want to see rainbows, you usually have to put up with the rain.

R = READ 

One of the best ways to turn around large and small adversities is to read about others who have managed to create a mind-set that converts negativity to positivity. To illustrate, there is a growing trend among wedding planner to use less rice. Rice stings sometimes when throw at the happy couple and their guests. It creates slippery conditions. It is difficult to seep up. Swallowtail Farms in El Dorado Hills, California, has optimized the trend. In lieu of rice, they sell packets of butterflies to be released by guests. Truly, if one man's metaphoric trash can become another man's treasure, one trend can be "trashed" to allow a different trend to replace it.

O = OPPORTUNIZE 

It's been said that it's better to be ready for an opportunity and not encounter it, than to have that opportunity and not be ready to take full advantage of it. Making an investment in yourself means having support systems in place. The systems may include intellectual readiness. They may be networks of individual who can support or teach you. They may also mean the physical equipment that may be needed when opportunity presents itself. Assess what your realized goals may require. Then, go about preparing for the opportunities that may come your way.

I = IMAGINE 

Imagination plays an important role in converting obstacles into opportunities. A string of defeats can surely dampen one's enthusiasm. Jockey Eddie Arcaro, for example, lost 250 races in a row. But he imagined himself a winner and ultimately became one. Yes, despair can create the illusion of failure that doesn't end. But imagining ourselves ultimately successful is a powerful tool for sustaining hope.

VOLTAIREAN VIEWS 

Voltaire once observed that "optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable." Perhaps a bit of madness, in the face of adversity, is a good thing. And, if you fear being labeled "mad," be heartened by Salvatore Dali's self-description, "The only difference between a madman and me is that I am not mad!" Here's to the "madness" that will allow you to see beyond the temporary misery facing you.

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Will Being Optimistic Change Our Brains?

Despite the modern technology and massive breakthroughs in scientific research, our brain remains a secretive area of study.

For decades, we have been fascinated by this unsolved mystery and we are again and again blown away by the powers of our minds.

From positive psychology to medical surgery, from secondary school biology lessons to university neuroscience lectures, we have all wanted to figure out how our brains miraculously work.

Yes, we've gained so much more insights, knowledge and secrets about this little machine. However, such major progress is still a scratch from the surface.

Take "being optimistic" for example.

Some people seem to be naturally more optimistic than others even in the toughest period of times. Does that mean their brains are different from most?

It is like the classic "what came first, the chick or the egg?" question. Does a naturally optimistic outlook on life change our brain, OR is there some magical buttons in our brain that make us more optimistic?

Throughout history, humans have consistently demonstrated the quality of optimism even when facing adversity. (Think of Viktor Frankl, Nelson Mandela, Helen Keller, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesse Owens, Stephen Hawking, Malala Yousafzai etc.)

You will find tens of thousands of examples where people in the worst circumstances can still find something happy about or grateful for.

The question is, how does optimism affect the brain?

Recently new insights from brain imaging have shown how just thinking positively or being optimistic about a situation can affect different areas of the brain.

The images revealed that when participants in the study daydreamed about future positive events, there were two areas of the brain that were more strongly activated than when they were thinking about negative ones.

The areas of the brain that were more strongly activated were the right amygdala and the RACC (rostral anterior cingulated cortex). People who had a more strongly activated RACC also scored higher on an optimism questionnaire.

Now the question becomes, Is Optimism Truly Beneficial?

Studies have shown that the RACC actually may help us imagine events that may occur in the future by using the reactions we had in past events. This can help us make better decisions by not repeating some of the mistakes we may have made in the past.

In addition, the RACC may work with the emotional center of the brain, the amygdala, to help downplay negative emotions.

This could mean that optimism may not just make us happier in both the long and short-term, but it may also help us to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. While there could be some risks with being overly optimistic, accepting negative predictions can impair your life.

So what's the short conclusion we can draw? A healthy dose of optimism daily will make you go further.

The next time you are thinking about something, try to see it in a positive light, reframe the situation in a more empowering way, and things may as well become better in reality.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Will-Being-Optimistic-Change-Our-Brains?&id=9540724

Become An Amazing Achiever!

You may have noticed that many highly successful people do not have a clear sense of how they manage to grab the brass ring time and again. Often, uber achievers do not have an awareness of what allows them to succeed or prevents them from failing. How do certain mere mortals repeatedly gain the favor of the gods?

It is true that we all have a repository of certain attributes, advantages, competencies and talents: the natural salesman, the math whiz, the influential family. Some may encounter a wise and powerful mentor along the way, who guides them onto the right path, keeps them out of harm's way, or gives them the heads-up about opportunities on the horizon.

Motivational psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson says in her book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (2011) that research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not only because of the cards they hold, but also because of what they do. Halvorson has spilled the beans on key behaviors that make the rich different from you and me (with apologies to those who do not equate success with wealth):

I. BE SPECIFIC: When setting goals, be as specific as possible. Knowing precisely what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Furthermore, identify and commit to specific actions that must be taken to reach your goal, actions that leave no room for doubt about what must be done.

II. CARPE DIEM: Achieving goals means recognizing and acting upon opportunities before they slip through your fingers. Make sure that you don't fail to ride a good wave because you didn't bother to anticipate its possible arrival, or because you were distracted by competing pursuits and dramas. Open the door to success by planning to take real steps toward your goals. Studies show that the process of planning trains the brain to recognize and seize opportunities when they arise, in that way increasing our chance of success by about 300%. In other words, plan to succeed.

III. MONITOR AND MEASURE: Achieving goals requires regular monitoring of one's progress. Know your timeline and milestones and adjust your strategies and actions according to progress made. Rewarding yourself for interim successes is a good idea.

IV. REALISTIC OPTIMISM: Thinking positively about the likelihood of achieving your goal is enormously helpful in creating the conditions for success and sustaining motivation. Nevertheless, guard against underestimating how difficult it may be to get where you want to go. Anything worth having is likely to require significant time, planning, sacrifice and persistence. Daughter-in-law of the Prince of Wales and mother of a future king of England, Catherine Middleton used to be called "Waity Katy." Now she's known as the Duchess of Cambridge!

V. GETTING BETTER: Believing that you are able to reach your goal is imperative. Equally important is believing that you can acquire the ability to reach your goal. In other words, focus on obtaining whatever the building blocks of success may be, whether that means learning new skills or developing relationships with those who can help move you forward.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Become-An-Amazing-Achiever!&id=9404882

Three Tips to Help You Think More Positively

I know. It's hard sometimes. Trust me, I get it and I'm right there with ya sister! Thinking positively is not always easy. At first it becomes another task. Then once you get a process down pat, the crappy negative thoughts still seem to creep in. But here's the deal. We are part Ego and the negative will always be there. BUT there are ways to effectively handle them and move through a more "thoughtful" (pun intended) thought process. Because at the end of the day, it is our thoughts that are creating our reality and if we want to live a better life, we have to think better - we must change our minds consciously. Change your thinking and change your life. It's inevitable.

There are three specific mental exercises that I use when I need help thinking positively.

1. When a negative thought comes to mind, I picture a huge metal slab moving through my mind pushing everything in its path out of my consciousness. From left to right, I can see the slab bulldozing the thoughts right out of my mind.

2. Another way is to shout at the thought mentally, "OUT!" Then see the thought flee away. This is Louise Hay's preferred method of changing thoughts from negative to positive. (Louise Hay is the founder of Hay House Publishing; an international leader in Spiritual and Personal Development literature.)

3. Lastly, as soon as I become aware of my negative thoughts I simply and consciously change my point of focus on to something else. I choose a positive thought and start thinking about it, leaving the negative story in the dust. Usually the new thought is the opposite or an improved made up version of what I was just thinking, or it's something completely different that I am in the process of manifesting.

TIP: Combine the last method (#3) with the first two methods.

Even when I am at my most balanced (mind, body, soul) those negative thoughts creep in. BUT I will say that they don't stick around as long. They come in my mind, are caught quickly, and are simply dismissed using one or more of these methods.

What do you do when those pesky negative thoughts creep in?

Do you have any mental tricks up your sleeve?

How often are you consciously catching yourself thinking negatively, and then switching your thoughts to something more positive?

I can't wait to hear what you do!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Three-Tips-to-Help-You-Think-More-Positively&id=9471184