Do I Like Who I Am . . .

Before we get to today's message, I just wanted to announce that The Current Realgoalgetter Ezine is now posted online. It's got some pretty good stuff in there, but then again I am a little biased . . . LOL! Now over to today's topic.

Do I Like Who I am When I'm There?
By John Carvana

It’s about being authentic. It’s about being true to oneself about oneself regardless of where you are, who you’re with or what’s going on around you. It’s about setting a standard for yourself that being who you really and truly are is a non-negotiable, inflexible, unwavering condition in your life. Authenticity! As the younger generation would say, “It’s about keeping it real”. In this case you are it!

But why is being authentic so important one might ask. As a baby-boomer, my father and my grandfather clearly did not indulge in such reflection. They were too busy defining themselves through their work and doing what men do. Why has the idea of being authentic become so important now?

Well, being authentic has always been essential even prior to my grandfather’s time. However, due to continually improving technology, mounting economic shifts, and their impact on redefining male - female roles and relationships in the workplace and in the community, being authentic for most people is a practice frequently left undone.

What may have seemed like time wasted activity has become essential to defining one’s sense of behavior, ethics and identity.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. ~ Judy Garland

The first step in this process is the hardest part. It involves taking an honest assessment of who you are at this very moment. Right now! There’s no need to delve once again in the past. The past has passed and there is very little you can do about it other than to either ignore it, repeat it or learn from it. HINT: choose the latter! What’s done is done and it cannot be changed. But you can, if necessary, redirect your present and redefine your future.

Begin by asking yourself these basic questions:
-“What do I want?”
-“What do I value?”
-“Am I getting what I want? If not, what’s stopping me?”
-“Am I ready, willing and able to change to get what I want?”

The trick here is you have to be absolutely honest with yourself about yourself. If you are unable at this time to be completely honest then chances are you are experiencing a sense of separateness and isolation within you that will manifest itself as stress, confusion, anger and, essentially, fear.

Why? Because you are not being who you really are. You have surrendered / submerged / sacrificed your essence (your “Who”) and that is what is preventing you from being authentic. You are, in reality, living life by default and not by your own design or in accordance with the intentions that your Creator has for you.

"I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." - Helen Keller

Are you living your purpose? Do you know what your purpose is? Or are you too busy going through life to take time out to be who you really are and to define what you truly want and deserve? You can make a choice to live by design…your design…or by default. Contact me if you want support achieving more.

John P. Carvana has almost thirty years experience in the field as a career service practitioner and is the founder of Level Playing Field (LPF) Consulting. He is certified as a Career and life Purpose Coach with an added background in organizational training and development. His niche includes motivated individuals over thirty years of age who are in either a career or life transition. John’s specialty is to lessen the gap between where the client is and where they want to be. He has helped hundreds of clients achieve their goals.

A dynamic speaker, John addresses local, regional and national audiences on topics intended to improve their personal and professional development. To learn more about his coaching services, or to schedule John for a speaking engagement, call 209.479.2165 or click http://www.discoveredpurpose.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Carvana

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Win-Win, Is It All It Is Cracked Up To Be?

I was rereading an article by Josh Hinds that I especially liked and had printed out. I really try to live my life practicing this principle.

Look For The Win, Win!
Josh Hinds, Copyright 2005

Always be on the lookout for the win, win in all endeavors - I'm absolutely convinced that if we look hard enough at any given situation we can identify a win, win result in it. So what's the big deal about looking for the "win, win" you ask?

Admittedly, I know a lot of people (some are personal friends of mine) that go day to day in their business dealings (and personal lives for that matter) looking for opportunities that only benefit themselves directly.

Now I am not saying there's necessarily anything wrong with this. Even so, I can't help but imagine that their personal level of success would multiply if they only took the extra time to explore ways to ensure that the opportunity was equally beneficial to all parties involved.

There's something magical about focusing on win, win scenarios. When we're fortunate enough to develop ourselves to the point where we are always looking for these types of opportunities it's as if they come out of the woodwork :-) The fact is people like to deal with those that don't have the "what's in it for me attitude", wouldn't you agree?

Believe me, I'll be the first to admit that there are plenty of people who have done very well for themselves without adhering to the win, win approach. However, I wonder if one might really consider them successful?

Keep in mind that success has so many facets to it. Just because someone has attained material wealth for instance does not make him or her successful nor non-successful.

It is all in the eye of the beholder I guess you might say. For me personally, I measure my level of success by how much I can give back to others -- and that's worth thinking about.

To your success, Josh Hinds :-)

(c) All rights reserved.

Josh Hinds specializes in helping people set and achieve their goals and live the life of their dreams. For expert advice on goal setting visit http://GoalsSuccess.com now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Procrastination Buster - Just Take Action!

Personal Success - How to Stop Waiting and Take Action

In the course of my work and life, I meet so many people who have big, amazing, earth-shaking plans that get me excited just listening to them. But when I ask them how they're progressing with those plans the answer is almost always the same. "Well, I just have to - (insert any excuse here) - and then I can get started."

There are a million reasons that go in the middle of that sentence, but the basic premise is always the same; these people are not taking action. I bet you could hear yourself saying something similar when you think about some of your plans. I know I have said similar things myself, many, many times.

So how do you break out of this pattern of procrastination? Here are five key tips to get you started on the road to your own personal success.

Tip #1 - Don't listen to yourself. Very few of us are actually insane, but we do all have voices in our heads. As soon as we begin to think about stepping out of our comfort zones, the voices of our highly efficient self protection mechanisms start chattering and telling us not to do it. They can come up with a million reasons why we shouldn't go any further, but they all boil down to one. Fear of failure.

You can't shut them up - it's impossible. But you can ignore them and that's what you must do to move forward. Instead of thinking about what might go wrong, just concentrate on what to do next and just start doing it.

Tip #2 - Perfection is a pipedream. One of the most frequent reasons for inaction is telling yourself that everything has to be perfect before you start or else the end result won't be right. So what? Nothing's perfect.

The best results arise from trying and failing, learning and adapting, doing and adjusting. If you wait for every single thing to be right, you'll still be waiting when you die. Embrace imperfection and learn to use it. Just start doing.

Tip #3 - Don't listen to others. The thing about dreams is they're very fragile things and they need to be protected. You already know that you can crush them with your own self-talk, but far more destructive are the opinions of others.

How many times have you told someone you know one of your plans, only to have them shoot you down in flames? They do it for only one reason; to protect themselves. They might tell you that they are protecting you, but don't believe them. They don't want you to achieve your dream because they are afraid that you might change, that they may have to acknowledge they were wrong and that they might be found wanting in the face of your success.

Just like the voices in your head, listen, nod, smile politely and then just ignore them. As I keep saying, just start doing.

Tip #4 - The bigger your dream the bigger the axe. If you want to build a roaring log fire in your front room, you can't set light to a tree. You have to cut that tree down and then chop it into pieces small enough to fit in your hearth and small enough to catch fire. Dreams are the same.

No matter how huge your vision, you have to start somewhere with a small manageable piece that you can do in one day. Instead of standing back and admiring your great big, wonderful shiny future, roll up your sleeves, wade in, pull out the first task and deal with it. Then go get the next one and the next and the next, until one day you look up and you find that you've done it. Just start doing.

Tip #5 - Yes, that’s right - Just Start Doing! This is the simplest to say but it's the toughest to do. A novelist who began his writing career, very late in life was once asked how he finally got started. "Well", he said, "I decided to stop sharpening my pencils and write something. Since then, I've never stopped."

Taking that first tiny step and actually beginning the first task is so liberating and empowering that you'll hardly believe how good it makes you feel. It is like walking on air. All the talk is finally over and you are at long last becoming the person you want to be.

Stop waiting - Just Start Doing

by Andrew Grant

Andrew Grant is a web entrepreneur, life coach and marketing consultant. He has written many articles on self growth and how to build a successful web business. Andrew publishes a FREE fortnightly newsletter, packed with valuable information for growing your wealth and growing your self. Visit http://www.money-and-mind.com to subscribe Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Grant

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Are You Right Or Wrong About Yourself?

What You Think is Wrong With You May Be Something Right! By Julia Rogers Hamrick

I want to introduce you to a radical notion. Maybe what you think is wrong with you, is actually something that is right with you! Sadly, some of our unique and important personality traits are misunderstood and not accepted by ourselves or by society.

So many of the things we decide are personality defects are simply things that do not fit into our culture’s ideas of what and how we are supposed to be. They are characteristics that, if properly cultivated, may be our true strengths, but because they don’t fit easily into the world the way it is, they may not be valued in our society, and we may decide they are defects and judge ourselves as defective.

When you stop resisting about yourself that which you have judged, and accept it instead, you may find that, at the very least, you are now in position to transform it, since only when you are out of the realm of judgment are you able to channel Love, the only transformative force in the universe.

But even more exciting is that you may find, instead of a liability, you have a characteristic that is something to cultivate and celebrate! And it may even be a clue to your divine role and purpose on the planet!

For example, if you are someone who moves from career to career, job to job, and can’t seem to make anything “stick,” you may feel that you are a failure, and judge yourself as defective. If you have not settled on one thing and mastered it, but have tried many things, continually moving from one endeavor to the next, you may believe that something is wrong with you because, according to society’s values, you are supposed to find a career, get very good at one thing and work at it until you retire.

Consider, however, that the capacity to keep moving from one thing to another is a strength, and the willingness to attempt new things means you are flexible and adaptable and ready to re-group at a moment’s notice, always available to go where Spirit leads you. This is a valuable trait—an evolutionary trait—if not in the eyes of society, in the whole scheme of things. The Divine Design needs versatile people like you!

Some of your qualities may simply be problematical because they are misplaced—you are not in the right situation to utilize them. What if you are someone that tends to be loud and animated, and you work in a hospital or library or other place where being loud is a mismatch, but you’re having a hard time reining in your energy?

Can you think of any role in which being naturally loud and animated, a sign of someone channeling a large flow of energy, would be a plus? Besides being a stage actor, a comedian, or motivational speaker, perhaps those characteristics would come in handy for crowd control in an emergency, or for working with the hearing-impaired! Or perhaps you are meant to learn to channel that powerful energy for healing.

Instead of judging your characteristics as wrong, consider that you may simply be in the wrong situation to optimize those strengths.

Procrastination is a biggie for many of us, and a trait that we tend to dislike about ourselves. What is procrastination? It is the decision to defer action until you are internally moved to act. Granted, oftentimes procrastination is a rebellious reaction instead of a real choice.

Many of us have had overly coercive parents who did not honor our need to attune with the flow of Life Force within us and coordinate our actions with our own sense of what to do when, so we’ve unconsciously used procrastination as a way to try to take back our power.

Viewed as a strength, procrastination may be interpreted as a sign that you are unwilling to live your life according to an externally dictated schedule, and understand that waiting for energy to well up in you telling you it’s actually time to get a thing done is a way of aligning with divine timing.

When you stop vilifying this pattern and begin to utilize it for what it is, you can see that there are times when putting off action has been the right thing to do—and, you may find that you will choose to act promptly more often, once you free up your attitude about procrastination and stop reinforcing it through condemnation.

The list of possible misunderstandings about yourself is as long as the list of qualities you don’t like. Instead of fighting your innate tendencies, perhaps it is time to accept and use those qualities to serve in a higher way. Before you permanently judge that something about you is wrong and needs to be changed, try this:

Make a list of those things about yourself you find unacceptable. Use your imagination to come up with how and why those things may really be strengths in disguise. Brainstorm this—no answer is too far out when you’re brainstorming. The very thing you like least about yourself may be one of the most important tools you were given for carrying out your Spirit’s purposes here on Earth!

Certainly there are things about your personality that you don’t like that are simply adaptations to the dysfunctional situation on Planet Earth, and bringing these parts of you that may be out of balance into balance may be exactly what is called for. It is crucial you understand, though, that the only way to balance and transform these aspects of you is through Love—and love requires acceptance.

Your lack of self-acceptance means that you are out of alignment with Source, and out of the flow of Love. Love is the only force that can transform this or any other aspect of you, so self-acceptance is a must either way.

Self-acceptance is the key to your transformation!

©2005 Julia Rogers Hamrick

Julia Rogers Hamrick has been a spiritual-growth facilitator for over two decades, and is the author of Recreating Eden: The Exquisitely Simple, Divinely Ordained Plan for Transforming Your Life and Your Planet. Julia writes about and leads seminars on proactive joy, and the relationship between frequency and experience. For more information on Julia and on recreating Eden, visit http://www.recreating-eden.com To read about Julia's own dance with Spirit, ego, and frequency, read Julia's blog http://www.recreating-eden.com/weblog/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
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It's Never Too Late To Change Your Background. Just Look For What's Good!

Change Your Background

“No man is free who cannot command himself. -- Pythagoras

The summer of 2001 was a summer that I will always remember. It was great! We had lots of company that I completely enjoyed. The weather was hot. My kids seemed to grow about 5 inches, and the company that I had worked for, for the last 16 years was absolved and a new one created in which I became a managing partner.

At first I was excited about the change in employment, but as it started to become a reality and I was making major decisions, I suddenly realized that this was for real! I went from a small level of responsibility to a major level in 24 hours flat, and I became overwhelmed with the reality of it all. I started to lose sleep, I became a little edgy, and I don’t think that I was all that much fun to be around.

One morning while I was out for my daily run I thought, “Hold on there, big fella”, I said to myself, “You have no experience running a company like this, let alone have employees work for you. Why don’t you admit it now and get out while you still can before it’s too late.”

You know, I almost believed it. I came very close to deciding on stopping the process and going back to what I was doing before. I finished my run, sat at my desk, sweat pouring off of me and wrote the pros and cons of going ahead with this change.

The more “pros” that I wrote, the more excited I became. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even get to the “cons” side because I was too excited.

I sat then and wrote the answers to the following questions:

1. What is the problem?
2. What are the causes of this problem?
3. What are the possible solutions for me?
4. What is the best possible solution?

Sitting at my desk and going through that process was energizing me. I felt completely renewed! It dawned on me that I had reached a career goal that I had set for myself 10 years ago. I have had many goals in my career, and reached most of them, but this one was the “Mother of all goals”. I guess that I was just a little too caught up in the busyness of life to realize what had happened.

I believe that what was making me nervous, was the fact that I was focusing too much on my background than on my future. My background was not in management or serious decision-making, but in going through life every day just doing the best that I could, and leaving the heavy decisions to someone else. I had doubts because I had never done this before. I think that I was comfortable in a rut that I didn’t even know that I was in.

I see people every day who do just the same thing. They blame their lot in life on their backgrounds. They had an unpleasant childhood, or something happened along the way where they failed, and they decided that it was easier to not try at all than to fail.

In effect what they were doing was believing that if nothing is ventured, nothing is gained and the status quo remains. It was easier to blame someone else, than to accept that something happened and move on. Never taking responsibility for who they are today, and what they can do to improve on that.

The realization that I came to is that you can change your background if you choose to! How you ask? Simply by focusing on what went right.

Even in the greyness of your memories, there were some things that went right. The next way to change your background is to change your future! After all, tomorrow, when you look back on today, will become a part of your background.

The decisions and actions and attitudes that you take and have today, will affect you tomorrow, and thus become a part of your background.

If you want to achieve more in your life, but are hampered by the thoughts and happenings of yesterdays gone past, change your background by changing your viewpoint.

Focus on what is possible, not impossible. Focus on what you can do, not can’t do. Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Make an action plan to carry you through the process, get a mentor and if necessary ask someone for help.

When you ask someone for help, make sure that it is someone who will challenge you and who knows the road ahead. Too many people ask the wrong people for advice and never succeed. Sometimes they ask people who have never risked anything because they were afraid of failure or change.

These people may be wonderful people, but in this case, they are not what you need. You need someone who will challenge you and encourage you and guide you along the way.

This week, as you are striving to become the you that you want to be, realize that you can become whatever you want if you will want what you will become. Do it with passion and energy, and you will achieve goals that you never before dreamed possible.

Be willing to take a risk. Afraid is good! Face the fear and do it in spite of it! That is what I am willing to do this week, what about you?

by Paul Kearley

For 22 years, Paul Kearley has thrived in the personal development and coaching business. As a Master Coach for the past 10 years, Paul’s passion is in developing and creating increased potential with both clients and other trainers. A columnist for two newspapers in Eastern Canada, and editor for his own weekly ezine, Paul writes articles that address the everyday challenges we all have and face in life and in business, and offers suggestions for success.

If you’d like to subscribe to “E-Motion” his weekly ezine, simply goto his website: http://www.mustfactor.com/ or by calling 506 433 4722.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Kearley

If I Only Had a Heart . . .

I enjoyed this article so much that I figured that someone else might too. No wonder the movie is a classic, and is still regularly shown after fifty or sixty plus years!

If I Only Had a Heart

I know you probably have heard of the movie, “The Wizard of Oz” right? Well, for those of you, who have somehow managed to miss this movie, let me give you a brief description of it.

A young lady named Dorothy is upset with her home life and decides to run away. But before she can get very far, a tornado strikes. Her entire house flies away in the cyclone. She lands in a land called Oz.

Now, all of a sudden, Dorothy wants to get home. When she was home, she wanted to run away. Isn’t that just like us? We are never happy.

Anyway, she learns that the only person who could help her get home is The Wizard and he lives in Emerald City (am I confusing The Wizard of Oz with The Wiz?)

Nevertheless, on her journey to meet The Wizard, she meets a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion, each of who decides to join her on her journey to meet The Wizard. They figured if he was going to do something for her, then perhaps he could do something for them too.

See the scarecrow needed a brain. The tin man needed a heart and the lion needed courage. They figured The Wizard would be able to give them what they needed.

They take you through this long journey through The Land of Oz, where it becomes apparent to everyone except the individual that he already has exactly what he is looking for but he doesn’t believe he has it.

The scarecrow, who believed he didn’t have a brain, was the one who came up with all the ideas and was able to defeat The Wicked Witch of the West (or was it East?)

The tin man was so sensitive and cried so much that everyone but him could tell he had a heart of gold and the lion, defended and defeated everyone who came in their path. He, too, had what he was looking for—courage.

I tell this story because I was watching it the other day with Erica and Eli and it reminded me about how so many of us are today.

We settle for anything and everything because we believe we do not have what it takes to be successful. We believe we are not skilled, or smart enough, or strong enough to get the job done.

Yet, if we were to ask others, people who know us well, what they thought we were good at, they could run off an entire list of things that we can do well.

And, when we hear the list of things that others think we excel at, we deny it. We say, “No, not me. I couldn’t do that. For real? You think so?” We find it hard to believe.

So we continue to search for The Wizard. And when we find him, we discover that he is just a nice, old man standing behind curtains working a Wizard machine and that everything we ever needed was right inside of us all along.

What are you seeking that appears to be out of reach?

What do you desire for your life?

What do you really wish to do but feel you do not have what it takes to accomplish it?

Chances are you do have it. You already have all that you will ever need to be the person you desire to be. All it takes is for you to recognize it, claim it, and visualize your way to success.

See, in the movie The Wizard of Oz it wasn’t until The Wizard, or nice, old man behind the curtains gave the scarecrow a piece of paper, the tin man a golden locket, and the lion a medal of honor, that they started to believe in themselves.

Are you that person who needs a picture-framed diploma hanging around your office before you believe you have what it takes?

Then make one up yourself.

You have a computer. You can put together a certificate. Make it say whatever you want it to say.

Say something like, “I, Dawn Fields, am certified to Do, Be and Have ANYTHING I desire. I am fully capable and able to do whatever it is that I wish to do with my life—RIGHT NOW, in this VERY moment. So long as I invite the God that is within to go along for the ride.”

Now go out and be the best that you can be.

by Dawn Fields

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and spiritual life coach. She also hosts Your Life's Purpose Interactive Internet Radio Show every Thursday night at 9 p.m. EST at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm

Be sure to visit the web site at http://www.dawnfields.com and sign up for the inspiraitonal and motivational weekly newsletter Your Life's Purpose by sending a blank email to yourlifespurpose-subscribe@topica.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dawn_Fields

Are You Living A Life Of Significance? If Not, Why Not?

Why Can't You Be Extraordinary?

During a recent interview, millionaire Farrah Gray was asked what inspired him to become rich at age 14?

Farrah Gray replied, "Why not me."

I admire Farrah Gray for his vision and more importantly his commitment and quest for wanting to be rich. To become rich or wealthy you have to do something extraordinary.

Extraordinary does not require you to do anything unusual except planning your work and working your plan. A better way to state this is for you to decide on an area of focus like real estate and then learn all you can about it and follow through, which is the action step.

You may not want to be a millionaire like Farrah Gray but you do want to achieve better results in your life. Your goal may consist of being a more effective leader or a better accountant.

Whatever you decide to do to become the best at what you do will consist of developing a plan, then working your plan to see it through to fruition.

There is nothing difficult or revolutionary when it comes to being extraordinary. Part of being extraordinary could very well involve you being in the right place at the right time for your opportunity. It is stated, showing up is 80% of success.

In other words when you decide to fully exploit an opportunity it simply means you want it bad enough to go the extra mile to achieve your goal. Determination and will overcome lack every single time.

You were born a extraordinary human being, develop your plan and work your plan and you will be considered an extraordinary human being.

by Paul Lawrence

Paul Lawrence Vann is known as 'Mr. Peak Performance" because he leads people to maximize their human potential. He is the author of Living on Higher Ground: How to live with passion, motivation, and joy. Contact Paul at: (00) 476-8976, http://www.paullawrencevann.com, or paul@paullawrencevann.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Vann

More On Sabotage - How Your Beliefs Can Stop You From Achieving Your Goals

How Your Beliefs Can Stop You From Achieving Your Goals

Have you ever failed at reaching a goal you had in mind? Do you ever wonder why you can’t achieve your goals but you see other people reaching their goals all the time? Do you ever wonder what’s wrong with you that you just can’t reach your goals

I’ve been there and I’ve finally discovered the secret of how other people do it. It’s so simple yet I never realized the importance of this very important aspect of goal-setting.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve done my due diligence. I’ve read the “how-to-set-goals” articles and books. I’ve written my goals down; I’ve visualized them. I’ve spoken them out loud, over and over again. I’ve done all the things they tell you to do except for one simple thing.

I didn’t let go of my “undermining beliefs” and therefore I failed to reach my goal.

Belief is such an important aspect of goal-setting because, as Napoleon Hill said, “If you can believe it, you can achieve it.”

You might be saying, “Well, of course I believe I can achieve my goals. Why would I set a goal that I don’t believe I can achieve?”

Beliefs can be used for positive affect in goal-setting; in can also be used against you in goal-setting.

Your beliefs about yourself can undermine the goals you say you believe you can achieve.

One goal-setting area that I have struggled in is weight loss. I’ve set goals for myself to lose weight. I’ve joined the programs and believed I could do it. But there’s one belief that was causing me to fail at losing weight. I believed that I couldn’t give up sugar.

Deep in my heart of hearts, I believed I couldn’t be happy without being able to eat sugar. Sugar like cookies, candy, cake. So I would always sneak it, believing that cheating just a little wouldn’t hurt. It ended up sabotaging my weight loss efforts. Pretty soon, this belief made me stop believing that I could achieve my goal of losing weight.

These “undermining beliefs” need to change before you can achieve the goals you believe you can achieve.

But how can they be changed? There’s a small bundle of nerves in the human brain that controls behavior. It’s called the reticular activating system.It allows your brain to take action on the things that you consciously or subconsciously believe are important. It filters out the stuff that doesn’t matter.

If you can affect this part of your brain by focusing on the particular thing you want to change and believe that it’s important that it change, you can change your behavior.

Let’s go back to my belief that I can’t be happy unless I am able to eat sugar. I can change this behavior by believing that I will become very sick with Diabetes if I continue to eat sugar. I must believe that I won’t be happy if I am sick with Diabetes. This is the only way I will stop eating sugar.

I will reach my weight loss goal if this belief stops me from eating sugar, as long as I am following the rules of a healthy diet and exercise plan.

This concept can be adapted to any “undermining belief”. If you’ve made goals and failed to achieve them, examine whether you have an “undermining belief” that’s become an obstacle to reaching your goals. Look for things that you often say to yourself after experiencing a failure at not reaching your goals. These are the “undermining beliefs” that you must change in order to experience success.

by Eunice Coughlin

Eunice Coughlin is webmaster for http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com/, a site devoted to helping moms of all ages with their physical and spiritual health. See what's new on the site at http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com/healthy-living-blog.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eunice_Coughlin

Self Sabotage On An Enormous Scale! Don't let this happen to you.

Wealth Consciousness - Why You Can't Afford To Be Without It

Wealth consciousness isn't only about money. It's about being aware of, and appreciating, ALL the good things in your life, because that's how you get more of them.

Sooner or later you always get exactly what you focus on... and as I'm writing this I've just watched a TV documentary which illustrates that perfectly.

The documentary was about the great empire of the Hittites, whose capital, Hattusha, was rediscovered recently after being lost for over 3,000 years.

Their empire was designed "to last forever". Hattusha was built high in the mountains, with huge towers, massive, thick stone ramparts, and inner walls with secret tunnels from which the inhabitants could ambush and wipe out any enemy who managed to make it that far.

They could see the entire surrounding area for miles. No-one would ever have a chance to approach the place without being seen and thoroughly prepared for... which was just as well, because they had an overwhelming fear that at enemy would someday take the city and destroy it.

They had a ferociously trained and disciplined army, which struck terror into the hearts of all the nations round about them.

They had a culture of duty, loyalty and discipline, with oaths sworn with great solemnity and threats of appalling punishments, both human and divine, for breaking them.

They had an ingenious system for storing water, which they brought in pipes from the streams in the surrounding hills and stored in 7 massive reservoirs.

They fought against the Egyptians under their great Pharaoh, Rameses II, and drove them backwards 200 miles into their own territory, forcing them to make a peace treaty with the Hittites and acknowledging their ruler as "the Great King".

They had 5 massive libraries, enormous gates and archways, and elaborate carvings of gigantic size. They were clearly a people of enormous ingenuity, wealth and power.

They'd have to have a wealthy consciousness, then, wouldn't they?

No. They hadn't. In fact, their poverty consciousness was so extreme it brought about their total ruin.

When Prince Hattusili returned with the Egyptian peace treaty, he probably expected a warm welcome. Instead, the King was terrified the Prince would now usurp his throne.

Whether Hattasili originally meant to seize the throne's not clear, but faced with the risk of execution as a traitor he took a gamble and deposed the King.

That would be drastic enough in any society, but in one that was held together by an intense code of loyalty, it was fatal. Some of the people went along with Hattasili, but others remained loyal to the King. Civil war broke out.

It ended with the city smashed to ruins. As the small band of survivors straggled through the huge stone gate and disappeared from history, they were still so obsessed with fear that their abandoned city would fall into an enemy's hands that they set light to it.

They needn't have worried. The place is so remote and inhospitable that even today, over 3,000 years later, no-one has ever attempted to rebuild it. The Hittites themselves remain the only people who have ever raised their hands against the place.

These people had everything - excepting for the understanding of how rich they were. It didn't matter how secure they REALLY were, they never could believe they were secure enough.

What you focus on is what you get.

No-one's suggesting you should be naïve and simply close your eyes to any risk to your prosperity, well-being, happiness or safety. Of course it's sometimes necessary to take precautions to protect yourself and those you love from harm.

It's just that it's a good idea to keep things in proportion. Once you've done whatever's necessary to make you feel secure, don't let yourself obsess about it.

Focus on the things you WANT, not what you DON'T want.

Fill your heart, your mind, your words and actions with your purpose and your goals.

Keep your mental compass firmly fixed in the direction that you want to go in, not the one you're scared someone might try to make you head for, and be fully appreciative of, and grateful for, the good things you already have.

That way you can keep difficulties or dangers in proportion, and have a balanced, optimistic outlook that will help you find the answers that you need.

The alternative is, you'll focus on the things you fear until you take the very course of action that will make them happen.

The Hittites could have told you that - if there were any of them left.

by Aislinn O'Connor

Aislinn O'Connor is a motivational writer and personal development consultant. For tools to help you to enjoy the happy and successful life that you were born to live, visit her website at www.access-your-peak-performance-zone.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aislinn_O

Use Words Wisely. What You Say Is What You Get!

The Power of the Tongue

There is an old proverb with a lot of wisdom. It says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and whoever loves it will eat its fruit."

It is so true. What we say has the ability to create situations, emotions, and thoughts in others. A kind word helps people, negative words hurt - sometimes for a very long time.

Most of the time we think of this concept in relation to how we treat others and that is good. In fact, I wrote an article in the last month or so called "The Power of Praising People." If you missed it, you can get it at the website.

But here I want to talk about this concept in relation to ourselves. How does what we say affect us? Tremendously. There is a simple principle here. Only say things that will create in you positive emotions, thoughts, feelings, and ultimately, actions.

Let me give you a good example. We do not allow the words "I can't" in our house. Why? Because we CAN! The very minimum is "I'll try." We ask our kids to say "I'll try." If we allow our kids, or ourselves, to fall into the trap of saying "I can't," guess what? We won't! And that's not good, is it?

Do you tell yourself negative thoughts during the day? Most of us can fall into that temptation, can't we? I was working the other day and I was brewing over something bad that had happened and I was just getting bent out of shape. So I stopped, realized I had the power to choose what I was saying to myself and began to think about and tell myself good things. And my day changed for the better.

Have you ever been in your backswing on the golf course and said to yourself, "I am going to shank this one." What happens? You shank it. This actually happens to me. So what do I do? I stop my backswing, reset myself, and tell myself I am going to hit it straight down the fairway. What happens?

About half the time I hit it straight, the other half, I shank it, but increasing your ability is a future article! At the very least I increase my chances of performing better. Bad thoughts almost guarantee my failure, while good thoughts increase my chances for success dramatically.

A salesman may see someone walk through his door and say to himself, "I'm not going to be able to make this sale." I can't. I won't.

Some of us aren't even aware that we talk negatively to ourselves. Take some time today to think about what you say to yourself. Maybe ask a close friend if you have this habit. If you find yourself doing this, it is time to change!

Now, don't get me wrong. Self-talk is not a substitute for effort and ability, but it is a strong helping factor. Find some simple phrases that will help you get through the day with more success. Whatever your situation or work is, I am sure there are specific things you can say that will build you up and stick you on the road to success!

The words that you use and the conversations you have with yourself create things in you. They can create positive things or negative things. It is our choice. The tongue has the power of life and death. This is why it is so important to be diligent in using the power of the tongue to create a positive force in our lives.

Remember, your tongue has power. Use it!

by Chris Widener

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Widener

Powering Up Your SUCCESS Mechanisms!

Powering Up Your SUCCESS Mechanisms!

An effective self- concept generates the desire to strive for things that were thought to be impossible before. It generates fight, but it doesn't kick dogs and slap babies.

Andrew Carnegie is reputed to be the toughest man to sit behind a desk. But the railroads he built are still with us today, and the foundation he created still advances human welfare.

Before we go into how you can Power Up Your Self Concept. Let's talk about The Four Mental Conditioners first.

The Four Mental Conditioners

1. You are what you concentrate on.

If you concentrate on failure. You get feelings of failure. If you concentrate on success, you get feelings of success.

Which feeling is likely to produce your best effort? Feelings of success, isn't that true?

So you pretend you're successful, and you do this by concentrating. Eventually you make success feelings a habit. By a mental act that originates in pretense, you achieve your best effort.

You are what you practice. You practice what you concentrate on. When you concentrate on success, you practice success. That trains your nervous system to produce success for you.

2. What you concentrate on grows

Concentration on trouble makes trouble grow, because that's what you're looking for.

A guy in playing poker loses a few hands and gets scared of losing more. More disciplined players watch him with a smile. They know that scared money never wins.

When you try not to think of an elephant wearing pink underwear.....you think of an elephant wearing pink underwear. If you try not to think of failure, you think of failure.

That's why scared money never wins.

To produce success, you have to think SUCCESS.

3. What you concentrate on becomes real.

By misusing this one you can wind up in the institution believing you're Alexander The Great. We come to believe anything we concentrate on, no matter how bizarre or fantastic.

A guy can start out as a conman promising heaven, but if he continues to promise it, he winds up a believer. That's the history of conmen, they became fanatics.

Don't kid yourself that they become sincere through some moral revelations. It's a law of the mind that what we concentrate on becomes real. Scientifically they call this "self fulfillment". You can start playing around with astrology with your tongue in cheek, but if you persist in concentrating on it, you'll wind up believing it. Use this law to induce beliefs that produce fruitful actions.

Concentrate on achievement, success, energy, confidence, skill, joy, persistence.

If you concentrate on being Alexander the Great, you have a very severe handicap , your troops were killed centuries ago....

4. You always find what you concentrate on.

The outcome of our efforts always tells us what we are concentrating on.

I know a very good teacher who divides students into winners and losers. That's all he wants to know about them, and he makes a practice of doting on winners. He even carries his theory onto the golf course, pairing himself with people who win. He could make a nice living just playing golf.

People who win are people who think victory. People who lose are people who think defeat. It's hard to convince a loser that he looks for defeats.

Reasoned justification makes a whole literature. Don't waste your time on it. It's just prolonged weeping, which is embarrassing in grown- up men.

Losers all think the world should be changed. It never occurs to them that they might change themselves. But they can, simply by concentrating on winning. That sets up success habits.

You always find what you concentrate on.

To find and develop your greatest potential, you discipline your mind with four mental conditioners.

You concentrate on growing, achieving, winning, confidence, persistence, determination, and success.

You develop your potential by thinking SUCCESS.

It's important to understand that they ALWAYS work whether you consciously use them or not. The greatest danger in your life lies in dwelling on failure.

The greatest reward lies in thinking SUCCESS.

How to use the four mental conditioners to Power Up Your Self Concept.

* Power up your self concept.

Now you're skating on thin ice, because the greatest sin in self- development is looking into yourself. Stay away from introspection as if it were poison. Introspection is self- criticism and plays failure experience on the imagination's turntable.

Stay strictly with what works and what doesn't work. Throw out the things that don't work, and try the things that look like they might work.

* What you see tells you what you are.

To change what you see, change your self- concept. That's all the self- analysis any one needs. That's all he can handle, if he wants to grow up and achieve.

Set your self concept to switch on success by programming it to strive for the things you want. You set your sights on higher performance, because when you move towards higher performance, your ability grows.

Train yourself into a "Go For It!!" self concept by disciplining your mind with the four mental laws discussed earlier.

Let's restate them now in the light of self- concept.

1. Your self concept is formed by what you concentrate on.

2. Concentration makes your self - concept seem real.

3. Your self - concept grows towards the image of your concentration.

4. What you find in the world reflects your self- concept.

Successful mental re-programming produces mental discipline, the ability to think something useful instead of something useless or ....dangerous.

You can think a new self concept into existence by a process of visualizing yourself playing this new role.

You speed up the process by auto- suggestion. Reinforce this synthetic experience by taking the actions that ingrain it into your nervous system.

Soon things that seemed impossible are done automatically. You build your first great success habit when you build a healthy self- concept, and it becomes a faithful General when you've trained it into your nervous system.

In a nutshell; The self- concept governs energy, power, and force. It's the motive power for action. When you set your self- concept to "Go For It!!" you switch on success. It's equally important to build a guidance mechanism for this power mechanism to work through.

Right now, just to get an idea of the power unleashed by a striving self- concept, try carrying a card that says "Go For It!!", we promise you more action than you've had in years.

To your incredible success.

© Jahn A. http://www.noorazan.com/get

Jahn A. is the CIO/Director for FAVCART.COM. He has trained hundreds of ordinary people online and off-line, inspiring and turning them into netrepreneurs overnight through his e-marketing Seminars in Singapore. Jahn has the rare ability to present complex information at a level that is easy to understand. He will help you understand web design and web usability. Jahn is a Marketer by profession and he has an MBA Degree in Marketing and Strategic Mgt and also a GDip in I.T.

Jahn is a Licensed eCommerce Consultant. Visit http://www.noorazan.com/get now to subscribe to your complimentary Latest Internet Marketing eCourses and access more than 150 software programs free.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jahn_A.

Develop High Self Esteem, The Foundation For Your Success

Healthy Self-Esteem in Thirty Days

Healthy Self-Esteem is your best weapon on the journey of life. Self-Esteem is the cornerstone of your emotional well-being and success in life. Self-Esteem stems from the knowledge that you are a valuable person. It is the understanding that there is on one who is exactly like you. No one talks like you; No one walks like you; No one has the exact color eyes or hair as you. Even identical twins have subtle differences in personality and characteristics.

Healthy Self-Esteem is realizing that no other person has your personality or your abilities, and it is being comfortable with your uniqueness that sets you apart. Healthy Self-Esteem is that calm sense of self-respect and integrity that deep down in your soul you possess self-worth and confidence in your ability and uniqueness.

Healthy Self-Esteem fosters your inner strength to walk your own path. You avoid succumbing to peer pressure. You have the confidence to say, “NO” to requests or ideas which are demeaning to your integrity or will sabotage your goals.

Healthy Self-Esteem allows you to become a leader, instead of a follower. You know what is best for you. With Healthy Self-Esteem you are able to make decisions, regardless of what others say or do. These are traits that we all want for ourselves and our children.

You can build Healthy Self-Esteem one minute at a time. Every waking minute:

• See yourself as having value.

• See yourself as having the key to what is needed in this world.

• Treat yourself with the highest respect. No one will treat you with more respect than you treat yourself.

• Employ self-discipline to follow through with any endeavor.

• Give yourself positive support by praising yourself for doing a good job, for doing what you do, and for doing things the best you can. “You can do it.” “You are good at everything you do.” “You did a good job.”

• Focus on the positive—avoid focusing on the negative.

• Focus on the glass is half full—avoid focusing on the glass is half empty.

• Give yourself praise and pats on the back for your achievements—no matter how small.

• Focus on the process of goal achievement, avoid bemoaning everything you need to do—your goals come to fruition more quickly.

• Be persistent in everything you do—persistence is the only path to goal achievement.

• Praise others for their accomplishments—when you compliment others you build your own self-esteem, because it’s impossible to sincerely praise others without feeling better about yourself.

• Give as much as you want to receive — What goes around, Comes around.

• Take pride in who you are.

• Take pride in what you do.

“Life is not easy for any of us. But, what of that? We must have perseverance and above all, self-esteem in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” – Marie Curie

In Thirty days you will notice subtle, but powerful differences in the out-come of your endeavors and you will notice you are feeling empowered, confident and focused on goals and achievements.

By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, author, speaker and inspirational leader specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dorothy_M._Neddermeyer,_PhD

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Self Image Exercise

Be Your Own Cheerleader - Give Your Self Esteem A Boost!

Self-Esteem: Being Your Own Cheerleader
By Wendy Betterini

Many of us believe that the only way to feel good about ourselves is to have someone else constantly reaffirm to us that we are good people. The truth is, however, that the act of simply believing in ourselves can be enough to give us the necessary confidence to accomplish the impossible, achieve greatness, and pick ourselves up when we fall.

Far too often we rely on others in our lives to provide us with a best friend’s kindness, a child’s love, or a spouse’s support. If we need love and support, the first place we should look is within ourselves.

Being able to love ourselves requires a lot of practice. Overcoming years of negative reinforcement from society is tough to do. However, once you can successfully say you can love yourself, nobody can take it away from you. We must learn to be our own best friend, our own cheerleaders.

We need to provide ourselves with the love, kindness, and respect we all deserve and desire. Learning to love ourselves can be an ongoing process as we occasionally fall into the trap of believing we're stupid, worthless, no good, etc.

Following are helpful ideas to use when you need inspiration to cheer yourself on.

First, when challenges arise, we must cheer or root for ourselves as we would for our loved ones if they were facing an obstacle. We wouldn’t want them to falter, so why would we allow the same to happen to ourselves? Cheering ourselves on with supportive thoughts and feelings will give us the continued strength we need to overcome many of life’s unknowns.

By repeatedly telling ourselves that we are proud of who we are and what we can accomplish, we receive the encouragement needed to forge ahead in life without fear or reservation. Great things then become possible.

Another way to treat ourselves with love and kindness is to use positive self-talk, and use it often. Our minds must be constantly reinforced with the belief that we have what it takes to achieve what we desire. The resulting outcome will be an optimistic frame of mind that allows us to believe that truly anything is possible.

Positive affirmations will produce the same result. Simply write down a statement, such as “I am a beautiful and lovable person.” Repeat your chosen positive affirmations daily until their truth is instilled into your consciousness. In other words, when we believe we are beautiful and lovable, we will be beautiful and lovable.

Unfortunately, being our own cheerleader also means we have to accept there will be times where we need a “pick me up.” Being there for ourselves to pick up the pieces when we’re down, or when it seems things are falling apart, is a courageous thing to do. We should not rely on others to put our lives back together for us.

Rather, we must learn how to comfort ourselves and regain the positive outlook that will keep us going in the right direction. Most importantly, when feeling down, we need to take the time to reaffirm our value and our worth by the use of positive self-talk and positive affirmations.

Finally, being our own cheerleader has the distinct ability to provide us with a sense of leadership, of control over ourselves. Learning to fulfill our own needs allows us to avoid a destructive dependency on others for our feelings of worthiness.

Self-worth is a belief that comes from within, and nobody can give that to us or take it away. We must remember that no matter what our circumstances are, we always deserve a pat on the back. Go ahead, give yourself the praise you deserve!

About the Author: Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer who strives to motivate, uplift, and inspire you to make your dreams a reality. Visit her website, http://www.WingsForTheHeart.com for more positive thoughts to help you on your journey.

Source: www.isnare.com

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