Feeling Bored? Spice Up Your Life!

Ever look at your life and feel like it's not what you thought it would be? A lot of people have felt that way at some point in their lives. We had this idea in our minds of how our life would be and it's nowhere near that. That could be for a number of reasons but regardless, I believe it's never too late to accomplish your goals and dreams. It's never too late to make a change. If you're feeling like your life is boring, that may be because you're not doing anything. You are not really participating in life. Life is happening all around you and you're sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else. You have to be honest with yourself. You should do an internal check-in with yourself. Where are you emotionally and mentally? Spiritually? Whether you are religious or spiritual or neither, I think prayer is something we've all heard of. If you believe in prayer, when is the last time you prayed for guidance? Day by day, life is happening. You only get to do this thing called life once. I don't think anyone wants to consider their life boring. A lot of things are in our control. For example, if you stay home all the time and never go anywhere, you associate with the same people, you never try anything new, that's a choice. You're choosing to do that. We all choose to do what we do. The reality is that nothing changes until YOU change. You must decide to. So if you're feeling bored, here are a few tips to spice up your life:

1. Be Accountable. Stop pointing fingers at everyone else and take accountability for your actions. Take accountability for your life. You are where you are based on actions that you've taken. Or the inaction you've taken. Be honest with yourself about what's been in your control. You are the one making decisions so if you're not happy with where you are, then try making different decisions that are aligned with what you really want. Be honest with yourself about how you've been showing up. Think about someone who, to you, does not have a boring life. What are they doing? How are they showing up in the world? What actions are they taking? Think about who you want to be with a life full of spice. What would you be doing? What would you need to change now to become that? Once you figure that out, then take action towards becoming that.

2. Do Something Different. You can't keep doing the same things and expect different results. If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done. Take a risk here and there. Some of you play it so safe, you just coast through life. There are no wow moments. You follow a very straight line and never do anything different. Success is not a straight line. If you ever listen to some of the world's most successful people, you will hear that they took risks. They didn't do what everyone else was doing. Everything wasn't perfect. Everything still isn't perfect. Perfection doesn't exist. If you're feeling bored, do something different. Spice it up. Add variety. Go to a different restaurant. Travel to somewhere you've never been. Try a new dance class. Read a book in a different genre. Cook a dish from another country. Take a different route home than the normal. Small changes consistently can lead to big changes. And it can get you out of the boring rut you're in.

3. Meet New People. Some of you hang with people that don't do anything and you wonder why you feel bored. There is a saying that 'Birds of a feather flock together'. In other words, you are who you hang around. There is a law of association that says you are the sum of the five closest people you associate with the most. Think about that. The people you hang around are influencing you whether you realize that or not. Get out and meet new people. Get different perspectives. Remember, you have to do something different. Change your circles a bit. Elevate your circles. If you want to have some fun and spice it up, then get around people that are fun and living it up. Meetup.com has a lot of different groups that you can join for free based on your interests and zip code. Try different networking events. Meet new people and make new friends.

We have more control over our lives than we think or want to believe. If you want to get rid of the boredom then participate more in life. If you're single, do things by yourself. Enjoy your own company. You don't always need to have someone with you. Regardless, only you can make the decision that you are going to spice up your life and take action to do so.

Live Big! Dream Big!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Feeling-Bored?-Spice-Up-Your-Life!&id=9465431

Be Happy For This Moment For This Is Your Life

The only time you can really be happy is right now. It is easy to remember all these things when they are being said; it is much harder to remember them when you are stuck in traffic or lying in bed worrying about the next day. If you want to move people, simply tell them the truth.

Today, it is rarer than it's ever been. It's easy to get caught up in life-what is happening, what isn't, what we wish was happening- and forget what we do have. The moments of nonstop laughter, the smile on someone else's face, when someone shows you a kindness you know you'll never be able to return, or when you help someone out that will never be able to repay you.

We spend a lot of time looking forward to the next thing, the next event, or the next step that we forget to live the life we have right now, in this moment. The people around me, my kids and family and the friends I've made have all reminded me of the importance of just being human. Some people would call it fate, karma, etc. but whatever we label it, it transcends us.

Seeing ourselves and the things around us-and I mean really seeing them with all their flaws, beauty, and potential-is living and once we step out of the fog, we can find happiness. Happiness doesn't come from the best job title or biggest paycheck. Peace of mind doesn't come from an easy lifestyle. Change doesn't happen overnight.

We are able to create change by living it.The beauty of living in these moments is celebrating the small accomplishments-watching someone graduate from CRP court, helping a client complete a step on their treatment plan, or observing their ability to grow and change as their work through their treatment plan.

Take life and split it into days. Make every day your memorable moment in your life. Our only existence that matters is always at the moment you are in. So wasting it in negative thoughts or ingratitude ruins the moment. live and focus in the moment" and happiness will reflect in a different perception. Be conscious of where you are in life and appreciate your connection to now, appreciate it for what it is rather than what it isn't.

It takes practice to do living at the moment because the negative mind distracts you. We hurry through life, not thinking about little moments. Moments where we can be distracted by little things that can make us smile, or laugh. And from these moments, feel happy about that moment. Life is full of small and simple moments.

Life can hit you between the eyes, or pass by you in the space of a heartbeat. The special moments go uncounted all our lives. And only a few will stand out when we are old and have the time to sit and reflect back. Or will they have drifted out of our minds, as they did soon after the experience?

I am taking the time now, to not regret paying attention to the simple moments that are given to me, to enjoy in life especially with my wonderful and adorable kids.

Just to take more notice of what life had to offer. Appreciate what we have right now. Be happy because we are blessed be it small or big.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Be-Happy-For-This-Moment-For-This-Is-Your-Life&id=9685293

You Are a Unique Individual. Accept it

At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.     ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Transform Your Time and Your Life One Small Change at a Time

One-day-at-a-time.

How often have you heard that mantra? And how often have you actually acted on it?

It really is how change happens: - one-day-at-a-time. But we tend to forget that - either catastrophizing about missteps or getting complacent when we are doing well. And when we lose our one-day-at-a-time focus, we are very likely to lose our footing and lose ground.

Embracing a one-day-at-a-time perspective means, of necessity, starting and staying small. It's how you make this work for yourself. That's not to say you should not have big goals. More, it's to remember that big goals are brought to fruition by lots of small steps.

As Kyle Savikko wrote in a recent blog post, NOT staying small leads inevitably to disappointment.

It is then when we fall. We miss a day of working out. Forget to brush our teeth. Are too busy and get too distracted by the trials of life to write everyday... We miss the chance to fulfill our promise to ourselves to perform the habits.

One-day-at-a-time and your goals

So, how does this perspective work when you have really big goals?

Actually, it works quite well. You still have your goals - as big as your dreams. But you know, right down to your toes, that your path involves many incremental steps. If your goal is to create and sustain a new habit, you know that it takes a lot of repetition. Each step is important, but no one step makes or breaks things. Each link in the chain is vital but, honestly, in most situations, if you break the chain you can pick it up again and keep going.

There's a balance to maintain here. Each step is important, but it's a form of self-sabotage to make any single step into a make-or-break proposition. Encourage and energize yourself with your commitment to follow-through, but don't beat yourself up for a misstep. That will only distract you and get you stuck in self-criticism.

One-Day-at-a-Time Challenge

So, what's one change that you'll make in your life in the coming month, one-day-at-a-time.

For me, my commitment is to find time for meditation once a day - even if only for 5-minutes (but when I can, for longer). I know how this practice grounds and rejuvenates me - and it's one that I sometimes set aside when life feels hectic.

What small thing would you like to do, one-day-at-a-time, in the coming month? Remember, small steps are the stuff of important and transformational journeys.

We can all change our lives, one small change at a time.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Transform-Your-Time-and-Your-Life-One-Small-Change-at-a-Time&id=9449340

Avow Your Independence - Esteem Your Best Qualities - Vow That Your Life Served Its Purpose

As adults, we decide that we will rely on our own logic and judgement to guide us, resolve ordinary challenges, protect us- AND, there is more to life than survival. Relying on family members or friends reaches its expiration date by the time we finish our education, or sometimes even before.

Avow to be an independent person, relying on your own ability to rationalize and think- it requires more effort and reaps more benefit for that effort, you'll be glad to see what your independent effort accomplishes..Accomplishing difficult or extraordinary problems is a great accomplishment, and usually achieved through independent thinking.

There are many decisions that we make that require independent thinking. Deciding that physical fitness has temporary as well as long-term benefit should be obvious, though oftentimes we may forget. We alone are responsible for planning regular activity and eating properly is a great way to be an independent doer and thinker for improved health and vitality.

We independently avow to our creditors that we will pay-off a car note or mortgage payment,on an almost monthly basis. We avow to our spouses that we will be loyal and faithful in our marriage. We independently avow to tell the truth and satisfy the terms of contracts, in personal and legal commitments. We can go a step further, and challenge ourselves to do more work,and reach even higher goals.

Avowing uniqueness or independence to oneself along with seeking balance in daily activity as well as in our work-life is a great way to surpass regular accomplishments, especially when we recognize our strengths and weakness'. Making and assessing our strengths is important. Knowing where we excel and feel the least amount of resistance is comfortable and our effort flows easily. Decide to mold and shape your life into a project that needs to be completed. We all have areas in where we excel and need little support and areas that need more work by cultivation or more education. Focusing on how to improve or fine tune our effort, in more challenging areas, of career or personal life, is necessary for improvement, challenging us to, gain more knowledge. There is one area that we tend to neglect- our favorite hobbies or passion. Deciding to pursue our dreams is a scary challenge, though achievable in our lifetime, if we make vows to ourselves, before me make vows to anyone else, we can achieve anything!

Challenging ourselves, in new areas of our daily life, is a great way to show ourselves value. Recognizing the value, in the vows that we make to others, is a great way to kick-start personal vows for self-benefit. Vow that your life is going to make a difference. The book that you write, unique invention, or beautiful peace of artwork will outlast your life and add value to your existence way after you and I are gone!

Give yourself a timeline for achieving your passions, before you get too old, physically unable or before you die. Make a vow to yourself that you will pursue greater training or learning to focus on the activity, or passion that brings you the most personal satisfaction. Practice playing your guitar; building your dream house, or go back to school to get your next degree, you'll be happy that you put forth the effort.

Allow yourself the time for developing the experience, expertise or skill in reaching your personal objectives is of great value to your self-esteem. Vow that you deserve happiness engage or seek more knowledge in the area or activity that brings you excitement and passion. Improvement in the pursuit of enjoying your favorite activity or passion requires you to recognize that you deserve to pursue happiness-without question.

Vow or promise openly, or silently that resolving hard or extraordinary tasks or problems is a great way to eradicate or release issues that cause you angst or pain. There is no need to deliberately accept pain as a part of life. If you can perform an action or recognize that avoiding your calling in life is not an option, you will be a lot happier knowing that living your life in happiness is easier than avoiding your desire to enjoy your favorite hobby or passion.

It is important to recognize that by improving your skill-set you make yourself more marketable in the job market or for achieving personal goals. Vow to be balanced, proactive;apply logic and reason, going even deeper into cause and effect, for personal improvement, helps yourself and others that are dependent on your success. Declare your commitment and listen to deductive reasoning, formulate a strategy and place yourself on the trajectory of where you can best excel. You'll reach your personal or professional goals a lot faster, and be prepared to reach even more goals if you live and plan your life for success!

I enjoy learning from you and from others offering me knowledge continuously!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Avow-Your-Independence---Esteem-Your-Best-Qualities---Vow-That-Your-Life-Served-Its-Purpose&id=9468761

Do You Need To Hit The "Re-Set" Button In Your: Career, Business, Life Or A Relationship?

You would be amazed at how many people are living in a "default" mode and are in serious need of a "re-set" in some area of their life. Let me clarify.

You are cruising along at 70 MPH in cruise control and you enter a zone where the speed limit drops to 35 but you just keep barreling along at your current speed. Hello - are you ready for a speeding ticket or even worse - an accident?

So - what do normal people do? They "re-set" the cruise control to the current speed limit to avoid the above and then "re-set" it again once they have left the slower zone and the speed limit changes. I know - a simple concept however - imagine that you have the same philosophy when it comes to life, your career, your business or a relationship? You most likely won't get a ticket if you don't "re-set" but worse things can happen if you stay in "default" mode not recognizing or accepting that some changes are necessary to live a successful, contented and joyous life.

What is "default" mode? Basically it's operating on autopilot where all actions, decisions and behavior are based on only previous experiences or outcomes and fails to integrate current reality or circumstances in a rational or new way into our now. It's when we let our past drive our present without regard to how, when, why or what we could do differently, better, smarter or easier to have a major influence on our current actions and therefore potential better outcomes or consequences.

What is "re-set" mode? Re-set mode is when you learn from the past but don't let it dictate your present or future. You are willing to let new thinking, mindsets and behaviors have their role or purpose in your life. It's when you are willing to accept and let new approaches, opportunities or circumstances blend into your actions, choices, behavior and decisions to hopefully achieve different or better results. You are not stuck in the past regardless of whether it was negative or positive. You are open to new ways of thinking, evaluating and considering. A "re-set" is simply refusing to permit previous choices, mistakes, failures, actions or consequences to control or determine your present behavior.

Why do so many people refuse to "re-set" some area of their life and remain stuck in destructive habits, relationships or behaviors that lack fulfillment or careers where they struggle every day to achieve success or achievement or even a certain level of satisfaction? Not to mention how many businesses need to re-evaluate - policies, products, services, markets, customer focus or any number of dysfunctional traits that prevent continued and sustained growth and profits.

I could answer this with a 200-page book but I'm sure you have better things to do so I'll limit it to the five basics.

1) Fear - the fear of consequences when making changes, the fear of the unknown, the fear of losing control, the fear of others' opinions or judgements of you, the fear you won't have the resources, time, patience or passion to make a successful change - get it - some form of fear is the primary driver in your life.

2) Ego - the unwillingness to accept you are not perfect, you are always right, you know best in all situations, the need to look good and appear smarter and more successful to others, a lack of humility - get it - self-righteousness.

3) Approval - the need for the approval of others, the fear of rejection, the desire to be liked.

4) Control - the need to feel you are in control of all things, all relationships all outcomes at all times no matter the circumstances.

5) Pride - the ability to not be the smartest person in the room - whether the boardroom or the bedroom, an unwillingness to accept that you will never know it all, be it all, have it all.

Yes, I could go on but I promised to stop here so let me ask you - is there some area in your life, career, business or a relationship that needs to be "re-set"? If so, why are you waiting?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Do-You-Need-To-Hit-The-Re-Set-Button-In-Your:-Career,-Business,-Life-Or-A-Relationship?&id=9388685

How to Make Your Day Meaningful

Time flies. Today will soon be yesterday! So make your today special - a remarkable and unforgettable one. Be happy and make fun! How you can make your 'today' a remarkable and thus, your everyday. Well, here are few ways to do so.

Do something new. If you want to spice of your life then bringing variety is the best way to do so. There are millions of things which you can do or see million times but there are only few things which you will do for the first time or may be just once. So, this means that first time experience which you take only once leave a mark on your mind for the rest of your life. So, start doing something new from today on wards and convert this ordinary day into an extraordinary day.

Entertainment with Real world experiences.

What are your great memories? They are just few interesting experiences of your life. So, if you are the one who sits all day in your home working on laptop or watching TV then it is high time that you get out and have some fun in your life. Interactions with the world are itself quite an interesting experience. Enjoy the nature and appreciate the natural beauty. One should learn to enjoy little things in life and take pleasure in watching how life unfolds.

Start working on something meaningful.

Engage yourself with a project which holds a meaning in your life. Or you can even start up something which you always wanted to do but could never do it due to some or the other problem. Life is short; so you better start working on it, start the action today.

Challenge your body and mind.

Take up a new skill and learn it. One should be creative in life no matter how small that is. Push yourself to the farthest limits and enjoy the feeling you get after accomplishing the task.

Stick to few things.

It is not necessary that you need to do everything but whatever you do, give your best shot. Concentrate on few things but best should be given on them. Slow down a bit and pay close attention to the work you are doing in present. Don't' juggle up your life in forgettable tasks rather concentrate on something which really matters. You can even give up your whole day in it and engage yourself fully.

Start saying "yes".

One cannot plan everything in life, few things need to be spontaneous. So, stat saying yes to spontaneous opportunities that come your way. It's a great saying great opportunities knock your door when you least expect them. So be a little spontaneous and say "yes". Be positive.

Finish your unfinished business.

Every human has a lot of pending business on their list, you must be having too. So, make up a list of unfinished projects and start working on them one by one. Think it as the perfect day to finish what you once started.

Life is short. Everyone wants to be succeeded in the life. But what makes a person's life a success is still a big question. Many attributes are related to success that range from physical to mental counts, hard skills to soft skills, hard works, thought-process, dreams, reality, happiness, hardship and what not!

Factors that have an effect on and affect the success in life also vary. In a broader aspect, three things actually determine the ultimate SUCCESS of life:

• Health

• Skills

• Money

BE THE PILOT OF YOUR LIFE

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-Your-Day-Meaningful&id=9265230

Is Your Life a Circus? Balance Work and Life by Becoming a Ringleader!

There's a popular phrase that states "It's not my circus and these are not my monkeys." But do you ever feel like your life IS a circus and the monkeys are actually the least of your worries? Do you bring work home regularly or go in early to "catch up"? Do you fall into bed at night thinking, "I'd give anything to just do NOTHING for a day"? Do you long for the chance to sleep in or just go to bed before midnight? Or wish you could read more than the first three to five pages of a book?

The first thing to do is to admit that your life IS actually a circus and not only are the monkeys yours, so are the tigers, the acrobats, the dancing bears, elephants, and the clowns! The good news is that like any circus, all it takes is a good ringleader to put all the acts in their place so that everything runs smoothly.

The most important concept for attaining work/life balance is to identify pending tasks and activities and then relegate them to their proper ring or in this case, the proper time period. When you have clear boundaries or rings for each focus (act) in your life, it's much easier to take charge and be the ringleader so that you can have multiple acts in one day but they all run smoothly.

Ring 1 for most people will be their work activities. Ring 2 is probably your family. Part of the reason most people feel they are constantly on the go is that these may have overrun their ring and are now showing up and stealing the spotlight or disrupting other rings. It may help to spend a week or two documenting how you spend your time at any given moment of the day and evening.

Tracking what you actually are doing during each hour of the day will give you a pretty clear idea which acts are taking up most of your day. Most people have two or three big top acts, typically work, family, and friends. After you do your time tracking, decide which focus is your center ring right now. Which focus takes up the most time in your day on a regular basis? Is it work, family, school, friends?

Does this fit with how you thought you were allotting your time? Do you want to have a different main focus or center ring? If work is your center ring and it's taking up 10 or more hours per day on a regular basis, you may need to set some boundaries to keep it contained. Everyone should also have a ring for personal or time for self. This is the time you spend doing things you enjoy, things that renew your spirit.

A good ringleader is able to keep each focus or act contained within their "ring" so that focus transitions smoothly from one ring to the next without just one act hogging the spotlight (your attention). If you like visual representations, go ahead and trace circles on a sheet of paper and label them Ring 1 (center ring), Ring 2 (left), Ring 3 (right), etc. You can even write in blocks of time in each circle if that helps you.

The one other important thing to keep in mind are the monkeys and the clowns. These are the everyday distractions and the time wasters. They will run into your center ring, demand the spotlight, and wreak havoc if you let them.

Make a list of what these are for you during the day. It could be social media, email, non-stop phone calls, co-workers or friends that drop by your home or office without warning, calls from your kids after school while you're at work, just about anything that pulls your attention away from your focus.

So, to be a good ringleader, include time for yourself daily and that includes sufficient time for sleep so you can be rejuvenated. Let each act run as autonomously as possible within their ring when your focus is elsewhere, by putting systems in place. Set boundaries to keep those monkeys and clowns in their ring or think of a way to appease them quickly and send them on their way before they disrupt your show.

Is this overwhelming? Need help in recognizing exactly what you need and want? Maybe it's time to look into partnering with a life coach. Together the two of you will devise a plan in order to reach your goals. Sometimes we all need that unbiased person that we are accountable to.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Your-Life-a-Circus?-Balance-Work-and-Life-by-Becoming-a-Ringleader!&id=9305673

Why Change Is Important in Your Life

You have heard it said many times, the only thing constant in life is change. Change applies to every area in our lives. Moving into a new apartment or home, happy or sad occasions within the family, economic changes in career or business, and so on. We cannot avoid change in life. We can dig in our heels, or we can cope with change, or better yet, adopt a more optimistic outlook. Let's see how we can make change work for us in positive ways, and why change is important in our life!

Change leads to opportunities

You will realize that each change in your life is actually an invitation for new experiences. You should take advantage of each new opportunity. Remember, every new experience has its own benefits. You can be tempted to dismiss these chances, whenever they come, but it is always advisable to consider the benefits that those new opportunities will bring. If you accept change in your life, you will profit from each new opportunity.

Change ensures excitement in your life

Change is one thing that makes our lives interesting. If you are used to doing the same thing over and over again, for years on end, you may get bored, and lose the excitement in your life. Change ensures that your experiences differ from day to day, month to month. Remember that the world is always in a continuous motion. Technologies, trends, and politics keep on changing. This makes life exciting. Another reason you should remain positive about change.

Change means progress

If you look at your life ten years ago, you were a very different person, from the person you are today. There are many things that have happened in your life, that made you grow as a human being. This is called progress. And these growth experiences are the reason you should appreciate changes in your life. George Bernard Shaw said, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. If you come this far reading this, and you are still having a bad day, let me tell you that you have the power to make every day a good day, by just changing your mind.

Today, many people find themselves trapped in chains of various types. It could be that of an unreasonable employer, toxic relationships, mountains of debts, bad habits, or addictions, you name it.

Worse, all of these require too much energy to maintain. The most awesome thing is, that you can set yourself free, and achieve personal independence, by making hard and uncomfortable choices, by severing your ties with those traps, you find yourself in. That's how you declare your freedom, and personal independence.

Pride, will then be a byproduct of your success, that is achieving personal independence. It will, in turn, strengthen you to become even more successful in other areas of your life. In fact, the right type of pride in who you really are, and what you represent, will certainly assist you to achieve mastery in your life.

When you are independent, you will not allow yourself to be controlled, or limited by other people, since you are already the master of your own destiny. You are a person of great accomplishments and qualities. And that's something you should really feel proud of.

Remember, pride is like being completely aware of yourself, and accepting the power of your mind and body. And personal independence unchains you from intolerable and vain pursuits enabling you to experience this terrific feeling that is personal pride.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Change-Is-Important-in-Your-Life&id=9318842

The 4 Types of Mentors You Need in Your Life to Succeed

Meet the 4 C's--different types of people who make up a personal board of directors. Without them, you'll have a much harder time achieving success.

It's September, which means a whole new class of graduates--as Prince once sang--is getting "through this thing called life."

That means along the way, you'll need a little help from some friends. These friends are your mentors and you never know when you'll meet them. You just do. Any successful person will tell you he or she did not get there without the advice and counsel of other wiser men and women. I have had many mentors in my life. I'm constantly asked by younger people how to find mentors and what to do once you think you've encountered one. I also wrote about how to develop a relationship with a mentor, 

Equally as important as finding a mentor is knowing what his or her role is in your life. Sallie Krawcheck, the former Wall Street banker and now CEO of Ellevate, calls this your personal board of directors. Not all mentors are created equal. It would be unfair and an inefficient use of their time if you treated each mentor exactly the same. I have some mentors I speak to every day; others I contact once every few months. Knowing how you use people's time, skills, and knowledge is critical in nurturing and prolonging that relationship.

Below are the four different types of mentors you should have around you. It doesn't mean there aren't more than this, but these are the most common ones. I call them the 4 C's.

1. The Coach.

Growing up, your parents will be your first coaches. If they're good, they'll encourage you when you're down, listen, and help you figure out solutions to incoming problems. The issue is that at a certain point in your adult life, their advice will cease to be as effective. It's not because you're too old for them, but because your career has outgrown their area of expertise. This is when you need to have older, wiser people around you who are more well attuned to your industry and job. They can coach you through tough moments, think big picture on projects and ideas, and help you solve work-related problems. Their satisfaction is knowing they are paying it forward by helping someone younger who has potential.

2. The Connector.

These are some of the most important mentors to have and they are pretty rare. Most people are very inward looking. Connectors are outward-facing people whose very satisfaction comes from helping people meet each other. I've met a half dozen true connectors in my life and without them, I would not have had as much success. Nobody knows why they love connecting people, but they all share traits of having bountiful amounts of energy and loving new ideas. They have a wide and very deep network of people who all respect them and they often "get things done." If you meet one of these people, hang on.

3. The Cheerleader.

Before OMI made this word a "summer of 2015" song, cheerleaders were absolutely critical. These are the people whom you can call after getting a big promotion and they will be as thrilled for you as your mother. And believe me, nobody will ever be as thrilled as Mom. In a sometimes cutthroat world, you need people who will genuinely be happy for you and who will be there when everyone else has left--i.e., after your company has gone bankrupt. I have one person like this who will send me encouraging texts or take my call immediately if I'm having a particularly bad day. Sometimes that's all you need to get you through. You don't need too many people like this--sometimes one is just enough, but this person is your rock.

4. The Challenger

This mentor is not exactly going to be someone you'll be spending New Year's Eve with because he or she is there to call bullsh-- on a lot of things that will sometimes make you uncomfortable. But that's OK. If you want lots of happy talk, call Mom. She will love everything you do. If you want to grow, you will want some challengers in your life who will tell you when they think you're doing something wrong or if an idea just plain sucks. They're the ones who, after you call the Cheerleader about your great idea, will tell you a dozen ways why it won't work unless you do X, Y, and Z. This criticism, if it comes from the right place, will set you on the right path. Challengers are super smart and super fast--they often don't have a lot of time so you'll find they'll give their dose of advice quickly and move on. Call upon them only when you need it.

http://www.inc.com/betty-liu/the-4-types-of-mentors-you-need-in-your-life-to-succeed.html

How To Attract The Right People Into Your Life

As a business owner, I’m constantly looking to attract the right clients to my practice. As a friend and a lover, I’m constantly looking to attract soul mates into my life.

Turns out, these two aren’t that far off. In fact, when I started making changes to my life, both categories seemed to fall into place at exactly the same time.

Whether love life, business, or friendship — attraction follows pretty much the same rules. And they might not be what you think.

Ready to finally start attracting the right people into your life? Follow these five tips:

1. Get clear on who you are, not who you’re told to be.

So often, our desires are a lot more aligned with society’s expectations than with what we really want. Is a good-looking guy or gal really your top priority? What about a sense of humor? Do you really want to work around the clock for that rich client? Or would a relaxed atmosphere with a little less money work for you?

2. Picture your ideal, and be specific.

You can’t get what you want if you don’t know what it is in the first place. Start thinking about the exact person you want to attract into your business or your life. Remember, you're the only one setting the rules here, so the sky’s the limit. Be specific on everything from their secret passions to their inner fears. When you know what you’re looking for, you’re a lot more likely to find it.

3. Get really good at repelling people.

The most common barrier to attracting people into your business or life is trying to please everyone. If you’re keeping everyone happy, then you’re not being special to anyone. When you are authentically yourself, some people are inevitably going to be repelled. And that’s a good thing. Once you start sending away the wrong fits, you’re making room for the right ones to come in.

4. Let yourself be found.

Think of it this way: You’re a lighthouse calling the ships in. If you don’t shine your light bright enough, no one’s going to be able to find you. So put yourself out there. Place yourself in situations where you can be found. Introduce yourself to everyone. Be as much of yourself as you possible when you first meet. Give the right people a chance to find you.

5. Be open to whatever comes along.

At the end of the day, business or love might not come in the form that we expected. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad fit. If you’re putting yourself out there authentically, watch who starts coming into your life. Sometimes who we are attracting can teach us a lot about ourselves that we didn’t know. And it might be a better fit than we expected.

At this exact moment, there's at least one person out there looking for exactly what you are. Whether it's a client, lover, or just a friend — somebody is trying to find you.

So give them a chance. Put yourself out there. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Be authentic. Don’t just be another carbon copy of someone else. Show people exactly who you are, so the right fits can find you.

When you open up and put yourself out there authentically, you don’t have to wait six months to find out something isn’t a fit. You’ll create a business you’re proud of and a life you’ll love right now.

And that already sounds attractive, doesn't it?

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13128/how-to-attract-the-right-people-into-your-life.html

5 NLP Techniques That Will Transform Your Life

In this post I’ve listed some of the most impactful techniques that will help you change behavior, get better results and attract more positive experiences.

1. Dissociation

It’s easy to react to something negatively and then become stressed or upset about it. For example, if your partner drives you crazy and you get angry in response.

The following NLP technique can help neutralize negative emotions in such situations. It can even cure phobias, because it allows to objectively view the situation.

Here are the steps:

1. Identify what emotion you want to get rid of, be it fear of spiders, uneasiness about some person or dislike of some place.

2. See yourself encountering the situation from start to finish, as an observer.

3. Play the same mental movie backwards, then fast-forward it and then play it backwards again.

4. Play it backwards and then add a funny music to the mental movie. Do this 3-4 times.

5. Now try to see in your mind the same event like it was happening to you now. The emotions towards the stimulus should have disappeared or changed. If you still feel some kind of negative emotion, keep repeating this exercise until the negative emotion has completely disappeared.

2. Content Reframe

This NLP technique works great when you are in a situation which makes you feel powerless, angry or when something negative happens to you. It changes the meaning of the situation making you think about it in a different, more empowering way. In other words, it allows you to put the content of the situation in a different frame.

Let’s say that you have just got fired from your job. That seems very bad when you think about it, but be willing to see other aspects of the situation. Because you lost your job, you now became open for better positions and you can explore different kinds of areas of work that can let you develop your other skills. This experience will also toughen you up and you will become a more courageous person. And when you look back at this incident after 10 years, you will simply laugh about it.

In this example I simply re-framed the content of what has happened. I’ve changed a view about the situation and took the focus off the bad aspects. This lets one see the situation in a completely new light and this makes it easier to make better decisions because the focus is on good aspects of the situation.

What people usually tend to do in such unexpected situations is panic and think fear-based thoughts. That can lead only to more problems and failures. You should take your focus out of the negative aspects of the situation and look for the benefits of the situation. There are always good and bad points of any situation and it’s much more useful to focus on the good ones.

3. Self-anchoring

                   

Self-anchoring is mainly used in NLP to elicit some kind of emotional response to something that you do or say. For example, it is possible for the person to start unconsciously smiling when you touch his/her shoulder.

That’s very useful because you can instantly change how you feel. This helps in many situations, especially when you feel insecure or upset. You can simply anchor a positive emotional response and fire the anchor whenever you get upset.

Here’s a basic way to do it:

1. Identify the state you want to experience, be it happiness, courage or something else.

2. Do whatever it takes for you to get into such a state – body language can help here a lot, like sitting straight or intentionally smiling, or maybe remembering something good.

3. When you’re completely in the state, imagine a smoke circle on the ground and step into it. Feel absolutely great in the circle, bath in this beautiful energy.

4. Now step out of it and think something unrelated to the emotion you felt.

5. Then, after a few minutes, step into the circle again and observe your response. If the process has been successful, you should have the same emotional response as previously stepping in and being in the circle.

4. Rapport

                           

Rapport is a very important and quite easy skill to master that enables you to get along with any kind of person.

There are many ways to create rapport with people. You can follow the breathing patterns of a person, you can mirror his/her body language (not too obviously, of course) or you can use similar words that the other person uses.

You can also assess the person’s main sensory perception, be it, kinesthetic or auditory and then use the same perception yourself. You can do that by simply talking to the person and paying attention to what kind of words the person uses.

You know that the person’s main sensory perception is auditory when she uses phrases/words such as:

“I hear you”

“Her voice was loud”

“He scratched the surface”

“I’m listening to you”

sound

noise

You know that the person’s main sensory perception is visual when she uses phrases/words such as:

“I see what you mean”

“My vision is clear”

“Your future is bright”

glittering

dark

You know that the person’s main sensory perception is kinesthetic when he uses phrases/words such as:

“I feel that it’s the right thing to do”

“I have a bad feeling about this”

“She had a pleasant vibe”

warm

touch

5. Belief Change

There are three types of limiting beliefs:

Beliefs about cause

Beliefs about meaning

Beliefs about identity

They all influence how you view the world and filter out the bits of reality that doesn’t fit into your belief system. Your beliefs allow you to become aware of the aspects of reality that are in harmony with them. Beliefs are very powerful because they determine what experiences you will have in life.

Beliefs form because of the facts that you encounter relating to some experience. If you’ve had some negative experience and you dwelled on it, you would then start attracting more similar experiences that would reaffirm your rightness about the situation.

If you could straight away do a content reframe, you will not have formed the belief in the first place. But what most people do is keep dwelling on the bad stuff that happened to them and then they’re surprised when they keep encountering similar situations.

Any situation is neither good nor bad, only our thinking makes it so. So when you focus on the negative aspects of what has happened to you, you start forming a negative (which is always limiting) belief which will cause you to attract the experiences that would only affirm your limiting beliefs. So you are as though attracting facts that further deepen negative beliefs.

If the experience was negative and you focused on it, you’ve set a filter for further similar facts to reach you. For example, if you’ve been in a bad relationship you may start thinking that all men/women are the same.

To change limiting beliefs it’s necessary to gather more positive facts about the situation than negative ones. Then you will need to deal with negative facts and question if they really are facts.

Another way to eliminate negative beliefs is to spend five minutes a day affirming a completely different belief to your current one. This should be done when it’s quiet and you should completely focus on the affirmation. You should have no other thoughts or mental pictures in your head when you affirm your new belief. You should completely focus on your words and understand their meaning, rather than thinking about something else whilst affirming beliefs.

This is an extremely effective exercise because it allows you to lightly hypnotize yourself by entirely focusing on one sentence. Because of the induced hypnosis all the new beliefs go directly to your unconscious mind which is responsible for making your beliefs and thoughts a reality.

If you do this effectively, after 30 days or even earlier, your life will start reflecting the new belief.

Conclusion

If done properly, these five NLP techniques can change many aspects of your life. If some technique doesn’t seem to produce the desired effect, keep repeating the exercise until the wanted effect is reached.

These NLP techniques are very effective and work on everyone. It’s definitely worth taking a few minutes to try at least a couple of them. When you see the results, you will be more than happy to spend some time to apply them to all the areas of your life that need improvement.

http://simonarich.com/nlp-techniques

How To Create Real Freedom In Your Life

In April of 2012, my father died unexpectedly at the age of 54. Upon hearing the news, I felt almost numb. He and my mother had divorced when I was young, and he was never around. As I grew up into the adult that I now am, my dad tried to rekindle the relationship, but I was bitter and angry.

Unsurprisingly, the days leading up to his funeral were difficult. My mind felt consumed by so many thoughts. The day of his funeral gave me a harsh reality check: that's when everything got real. I sat there looking at his body and realized suddenly, deeply, that he was gone. That was it. I would never get a chance to reconcile with him or hear his story because he was no longer alive. Three days after the funeral I completely broke down.

Over the next few weeks, I started to replay the last few conversations my dad and I had. The one thing he had always said over and over again was not to live life the way he did. He told me not to die with regret in my heart. How? He told me to create freedom in my life.

Since his death, I quit a job I hated, I lost 170 pounds, and my family moved to our dream designation of Maui, Hawaii. I finally understood my dad's advice, and I created freedom in my life. Life is too short. Time is the one thing we'll never get back.

Since we only get one chance to live life, here are four ways you can live it with freedom, real freedom.

1. Feel responsible for your body.

In other words, get control of your health. No one else can, or will, do this work for you. Whether it's losing weight, getting fit, or really understanding what it means to live a healthy lifestyle (and feeling the benefits!), you have to take ownership over your needs and desires when it comes to your body and your health.

Disease, sickness, and the way we feel can be directly traced back to what we eat. The amount of energy we have to do the things we need to do in life can be traced back to our fitness. Your health is one area of your life that you can actively cultivate. Try it ...

2. Find or create work you love.

Most of us spend 47 hours of the week working. When you spend that much of your time doing something, it will affect you one way or another. Sure, most of us in the world are constantly hearing and talking about the bad state of our economy. And sure, job opportunities aren't what they used to be.

But you can nevertheless create opportunities for yourself, or at least try. In the process of giving your interests, passions and professional relationships more thought, you will be learning. It all starts with productive thinking and questioning. If you want a better job, start figuring out what kind of work you're looking for. Put a plan in place to land that job. It might take a while, and the process might consist of small steps leading you toward growth. So be patient!

If you've been thinking about creating a business, the Internet has opened doors that were previously closed. With over 2.5 billion people online everyday, you can create a highly profitable business. You have many options to create freedom in your work.

3. Choose experience over stuff.

At the end of our lives we're not going to remember all the stuff we had, we'll remember our experiences. And you can't take that stuff with you.

It's OK to have nice things, but if they cost you an experience (or many), they're not worth it. If you have a chance to try a new food, or travel to a cool place, or meet someone amazing, take it. Those are the things you'll remember.

4. Don't settle.

Complacency is the enemy of your dream life and the concept of freedom. You are destined for greatness, not a "good enough" life. Society and other external pressures constantly try to tell us what "a good life" looks like. Not only should you want more, but you have the power to get more. By settling, you are denying to yourself that you have that power.

When doubt, fear and the voices of negative people try to hold you back, ignore them. Chase that dream and create free by not living life on autopilot. My father's death was the wake up call I needed. Learn from my mistake, and create freedom in every area of your life. Don't let fear win.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15998/how-to-create-real-freedom-in-your-life.html