Self Talk, Are Your Thoughts Normally Positive Or Negative?

Positive Self-Talk

One of the most powerful influences on your attitude and personality is what you say to yourself. It is not what happens to you, but how you respond internally to what happens to you, that determines your thoughts, feelings, and your actions. By controlling your inner dialogue, or your “self talk,” you can begin to assert control over every part of your life.

Your self-talk determines the majority of your emotional life. The words that you use to describe what is happening to you, and how you feel about external events, will trigger the emotions of happiness or unhappiness that you experience.

When you see things positively and you look for the good in every situation and in each person, you will become a very positive and optimistic person. Since the quality of your life is determined by how you feel moment to moment, you should make it a habit to only think and talk about what you want and keep your mind off of what you don’t want.

You are constantly faced with challenges, difficulties, and problems every day of your life. They are unavoidable and one of the inevitable parts of being human. But as you draw upon your resources to respond effectively to each challenge, you grow and become a stronger person.

When you look back over your life, you’ll see that you are the kind of person that you are because of all the difficulties and problems that you have had to overcome in your life. Without those setbacks, you could not have learned what you needed to know to developed the character and strength that you have at this point in your life.

Much of your ability to succeed comes from the way you deal with life. Having a positive mental attitude is indispensable for success and happiness. It is the key to success in business, and it is vital to building strong relationships with other people.

Everyone wants to be around a positive person with a cheerful attitude towards life. But no one wants to be around a negative person who is always pessimistic about everything. Your ability to develop and maintain a positive mental attitude, no matter what the situation may be, will play a critical role in any success you achieve.

One of the best ways to define a positive mental attitude is having “a constructive and positive response to adversity.” It is only when you are confronted with a setback or adversity that you really know if you have a positive attitude or not.

Anyone can be positive when things are going well. It is only when things are going against you, that you are able to demonstrate to yourself and others, that you have a positive character and personality.

One of the common characteristics of all high achieving men and women is that they recognize the inevitability of temporary setbacks and disappointments. They accept them as a normal and natural part of their life. They do everything possible to avoid problems, but when they come up, successful people learn from them and rise above them. They continue to move forward towards their goals.

Optimistic people develop the habit of talking to themselves in constructive ways. Whenever they experience adversity of any kind, they immediately describe it to themselves in a such a way that it looses its ability to trigger negative emotions. They are able to exert a sense of control by how they describe any event or situation to themselves.

There is a natural tendency in all of us to react emotionally when our expectations are frustrated in any way. When something we wanted and hoped for fails to materialize, we feel a temporary sense of disappointment and unhappiness. We feel hurt and disillusioned. We react just as though we had been punched in the “emotional solar plexus.”

A person who is positive and optimistic is resilient and bounces back fast when he or she encounters a problem or setback of any kind. He or she responds quickly to an adverse event and interprets it as being temporary and only external.

An optimistic person takes full control of his or her inner dialogue and counters any negative feelings by immediately reframing the event so that appears positive in some way.

Since your mind can hold only one thought at a time, either positive or negative, if you deliberately choose the positive thought to dwell upon, you keep your mind optimistic and your emotions positive.

Since your thoughts and feelings determine you actions, if you keep your words and thoughts positive, you will automatically be a more positive person and move more rapidly toward your goals.

It all comes down to the way you talk to yourself on a daily basis. When a problem or difficulty comes up you must learn to change your language from negative to positive. For example, you should learn to use the word situation instead of problem.

A problem is something you wrestle and struggle with. It represents a potential loss and difficultly. A situation, on the other hand, is just something that you deal with. The event is the same. But the way you interpret the event to yourself is what makes it sound and appear completely different.

An even better word to substitute for problem is the word challenge. When you are faced with a difficulty of any kind, instead of saying, “I have a problem,” you should say, “I have an interesting challenge facing me.”

The word challenge is inherently positive. It is something that you rise to and that makes you stronger. It is again the same situation, only the word that you are using to describe it is different. As a result, your emotional response will be different as well.

The best of all possible words for any event or situation is the word opportunity. When you are faced with a difficulty of any kind, instead of saying, “I have a problem,” you should say, “I am faced with an unexpected opportunity.”

Within ever difficulty or problem, there lies the seed of an equal or greater opportunity or benefit. If you focus your attention on finding out what the valuable lesson is, you will always find it.

You should start your day in front of a mirror saying affirmations, such as “I like myself,” “I am the best,“ and “I can do it.” These are personal and positive affirmations that will build your levels of self confidence and self-esteem. You should say these affirmations out loud in front of a mirror at least 50 times a day.

By doing this, you will be driving these new positive thoughts deep into your subconscious. At first when you do this, you’ll feel kind of funny doing it, only because your mind over many years has been programmed with so much negativity that it will take time to reprogram your mind with these new positive affirmations.

The hallmark of the truly successful and happy person is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The high achieving individual has the ability to continue talking to himself or herself in a positive and optimistic way no matter what the situation is.

They are always calm, clear, and completely under control. As a result, they are able to exert a far greater sense of control and influence over their environment, and are less likely to be angry, upset, or distracted by problems or difficulties.

The starting point of becoming a more positive person is to monitor and control your self-talk every minute of the day. Keep your thoughts and words positive and consistent with your goals. Keep your mind focused on what you want and on becoming the person you want to be.

Remember that it is impossible to learn, grow and become successful without adversity and difficulties. You must rise above them in order to become a better person. So, welcome each difficulty as a learning experience and look into the situation to find something good or beneficial in it.

Always, keep your thoughts on your future and on your goals. Constantly think about the person you want to become. When things go wrong temporarily, respond by saying to yourself, “I believe in the perfect outcome of every situation in my life.”

Resolve to be cheerful and pleasant in every situation. Resist every temptation to respond to a situation negatively. View disappointment as an opportunity to grow stronger, and talk to yourself and others about it in a positive and optimistic way.

When you practice positive self-talk, and keep your words and your mental pictures consistent with your goals, nothing can stop you from being the success you are meant to be.

Copyright© 2005 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc.
All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe’s work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

Ever Have The Feeling That You're Underqualified?

Yowser!

Sometimes I feel dwarfed by the quality of information that is being posted around the net by people much smarter I . . .

What the heck am I doing here when there are already so many much better qualified people writing such good stuff?

Well, that bit of self talk really did me some good huh?

Anyway here is another great post over at Zen Habits about Habit Change. And it is thorough and expertly written. Check it out if you have any habits that need changing.

Talking myself out of doing what I enjoy will always motivate me to do more, yeah . . .

OK, I'm over it now. (the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy that is) I'm back!

If you don't understand what I am getting at, that's OK. Sometimes I don't even understand me.

But . . . I'm going for it anyway!

How To Fall In Love With Your LIfe

How to Fall in Love With Your Life
By Dan Goodwin

Ask yourself honestly this question - Are you in love with your life as it is right now?

Most of us can say that we love parts of our life - those parts we can’t wait to get involved in, and pour our time and creative energy into. Then there are other parts we don’t so much love, but just like, accept or tolerate.

Often we can find ourselves blindly hurtling down paths in various areas of our lives without much thought or planning or any particular aims. Without taking the time now and again to assess where we actually are in our lives, and whether or not we're heading where we want to be heading, we can end up with that heart-sinking moment we when suddenly look in the mirror one day and ask - “How did my life end up HERE?”

If you're not in love with your life right now (and very few of us are totally…), how would like it to be different? What would it take to for you completely and utterly fall in love with every part of your life?

Your life is a partner you're going to be with for the rest of your days. Doesn't it make sense to make that partner as lovable and as pleasurable to spend time with as you can?

Take some time to write, draw or otherwise create a picture of your life as it would be when you’re completely in love with every part of it, your vision of how you’d love your life to be.

One way to make this exercise more vivid and powerful is to write it in the present tense, as if you already have this life you love. Immerse yourself in it as deeply as possible, use all of your senses to describe your life.

Be honest and specific, you may want to divide it into different areas like Relationships, Work, Finances, Health and consider them each separately. Get into details and measurable aims.

For example don’t get drawn into vague statements like “I want to be a famous writer”. Instead state what kind of writer you are, what you’ve written, what you’ve published, where your work is published, how much you earn from it, who reads it and where and how you create.

We all have the choice to live as we wish. Every day is made up of a series of tiny choices, and the occasional bigger one.

And we all have imaginative and resourceful minds capable of being highly creative and then putting that creativity into practical action.

So start small, choose just one thing today, one part of your life you're not in love with. Then use your abundant creativity to start coming up with all the possible the things you could do to get closer to where you want to be in this part of your life.

Don’t censor or restrain your imagination, just write freely all the different things you COULD do, however viable they seem at this time.

Once you've got a long list, ask yourself - "And what ELSE could I do?". Ask this question again and again until you've completely exhausted all your ideas.

Then, from your list, pick three options that appeal to you most, and write down the first step you need to take for each and a date and time when you’re going to put it into action. Then do it!

Review your progress regularly and then work on a different area, each time aiming to fall more in love with your life. Remember once again, your life is the partner you’re going to be with for the rest of your days. It’ll benefit you greatly to make it as loving, and as lovable, as you possibly can.

© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin.

Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at http://www.CoachCreative.com

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

Install Positive Habits And Live Big!

Where Are Your Habits Leading You?
by Jack Canfield

You are an accumulation of your habits. From how you get out of bed, how you shower, how you dress, how you walk, sit, and talk, how you respond to the world, how you act in front of others, and how you think; you're living out your habits.

Habits are necessary. They free up your mind so you can concentrate on how to survive day to day. You don't have to think about how to drive your car so you can be on the look out for danger while you are driving. You don't have to think about how to walk so you can concentrate on where you're going.

Unfortunately, habits can also keep you locked in self-destructive patterns, which will limit your success. To become successful, you will need to drop bad habits and develop new ones that are in line with the life you want to live.

People don't suddenly appear in the life they want to live, habits determine their outcome!

What are the habits you have that are keeping you from achieving your goals? Really be honest with yourself here... Are you always running late? Do you return phone calls within 24 hours? Do you get enough sleep? Do you follow through on your promises? Do you plan out your day?

Imagine what your life would be like if all those habits were their productive counterparts.

What would your life be like if you ate healthy meals, exercised and got enough sleep? What if you saved money, stopped using credit cards and paid cash for everything? What if you stopped procrastinating, overcame your fears, and began networking with people in your field? Would your life be different? I bet it would!

So, my suggested action step for you is to write down some productive habits you could adopt and visualize in your life, step wto is to 'act as if' you were living these new habits right now!

I'd like to help you get moving toward creating more successful habits, so I'd recommend you develop four of your new success habits each year, one for each quarter.

Once you pick the new habit you're ready to adopt, next you'll want to create a method that will support your new habit.

Here are some ideas... You could write it down on a card that you keep with you and read several times a day. You could make it a part of your daily visualization. You could also enlist the help of an accountability partner who has habits to change.

It's important to make a 100% commitment to your new habit, so be specific about the steps that you're willing to take in order to drop an old habit and adopt a new one. Don't be vague about how you will change your habits. Spell it out for yourself so you can recognize situations that motivate you to act out your new habit.

Just developing four new habits a year will dramatically shift your life to be more in line with your vision. And the more in line it becomes, the easier the other habits are to replace because your perspective is shifting and you can see more clearly how your old habits aren't serving you anymore.

Make the decision. Make the commitment. Then watch your new, positive life unfold!

©2007 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America's Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Do You DayDream?

Self Improvement: Destiny or Journey?
By Eldon Taylor

How high is up?

Have you ever asked yourself, "Just how high is up?" or "Just how successful is successful?" or "Just how good is good?" Have you ever thought about the different "Yous" within yourself? Most of us have, at some time, considered our own path to personal growth and desired to improve upon improvement.

There is a simple, yet powerful, way to evaluate many personal characteristics and thereby gain additional access to who we are and what we truly wish to be. If life is essentially a school, which I believe it is, then we not only have our course work cut out for us but our objective for which our "learnings" specifically prepare us.

Get a piece of paper and try this little exercise.

First, write down all of your strengths, all of those characteristics about yourself that are good. Begin with the obvious, perhaps you’re very honest, or friendly, or cooperative and so forth. After you have completed this list, write down some characteristics that you would like to improve.

Perhaps you wish to overcome some fear or stop being jealous, or end gossiping or release anger and so forth. So, you’d like to be more courageous or more accepting and trusting, or more confident and so forth. Now, with both of these lists completed, think about yourself as having four inner aspects (IA) of the same you.

The first IA is your actual self--who you are, what you do, etc.

The second IA is your concept of an ideal-self. The ideal-self for most of us is just that, an ideal—but usually too ideal to be realistic. "Under no circumstances will I ever become angry," may be one such ideal.

Okay, the third IA is the ought-self. The ought-self is that collection of things typically foisted upon each of us during maturation. The collection of "you ought to do this" and "you ought to do that" statements we all have heard particularly from our parents and family members.

Last, but not least, is our desired-self. The desired-self is attainable, not so ideal as to be impractical as a goal.

With these four IA’s, take another sheet of paper and write down characteristics that apply pressure to how you feel about yourself, positive or negative, under each IA heading.

That is, use a separate column or sheet of paper to list the items (including feelings) that you may have about each category. When you’re done, compare the categories.

The question, "How high is up" has no answer unless there is some reasonable estimate as to the ceiling. Personal improvement is much the same. Self-examination can assist all of us in obtaining reasonable goals and that can provide at least some clear steps on the way to our ceiling.

Fantasizing your way to your goals.

I related the research that showed one could obtain the same gains from imaging exercise as from exercising in a study I reported upon in my Wellness book (which is free to download in our e-book library at www.innertalk.com) where basketball players improved their free throw shots as much by practicing mentally as the group that shot free throws everyday of the thirty day study.

Current research tends to suggest that the scripts we fantasize, that is, our daydreams, rehearse our worldview and in that sense predispose our experience. Repeating themes such as those around "getting even" and/or emerging victorious at someone’s expense, probably tend to create scenarios in many peoples lives that may lead to violence, anger, and so forth.

In short, our mental daydreams may become rehearsed scripts seeking an opportunity to be played out.

By contrast to the above scenario, whenever I have spoken to a successful person, a champion athlete, or anyone else truly at the top of what they do, they have informed me repeatedly and universally that their daydreams were about their success.

You can choose what to daydream about and you can end a daydream if it’s not something you want rehearsed and thereby a part of you.

Knowing this, it is incumbent upon each of us to think about the goals we wish to achieve. Look back at your lists, and set up a day-dream that is truly self-serving — one that rehearses your success and achievement according to your goals—your highest best.

To your best and thanks for the read, Eldon

Eldon Taylor, Ph.D. is the author of over 200 books and self improvement programs. He is a Diplomat in the American Psychotherapy Association and received the 2005 International Peace Prize for his work in teaching self responsibility (http://www.innertalk.com/eldon/index.html).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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Action Step - Are you fantasizing or daydreaming about your goals?

Did you do the exercise? Do it later if you don't have time at this moment. But, do give it a shot, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you write down.

Go ahead. Daydream once in a while, it's good for you . . . You can have all the advantages and wonders of being childlike without the disadvantages of being childish. I love a good 'daydream'. Go for it!

See you next time.

Al Smith

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Where Is Your Vision Hiding?

This article by Catherine Franz really describes how a vision for your life may be knocking on the door of your mind and how important it is to listen when it does.

It hit me just right when I read it the second time, I love to hear about someone's personal life journey. This is real stuff and it is nice to know that we are all in the same boat! We all look calm on the outside but many of us have furious currents at work under the surface.

What potential message are you receiving that you dismiss before really investigating what the message is telling you. Our visions do not always come to us ready made and crystal clear.

Sometimes we have to interpret our mind's work, I mean really think about what our sixth sense may be saying to us. Sometimes it takes weeks if not months to clarify what is the right road for us.

Take some time this weekend to listen to your mind's work. Stop and record possible significant directions or hints of a more joyful, passionate future. Here's the article.

Embrace Your Overall Vision: It May Be Hiding in the Strangest Places By Catherine Franz

Thinking back on it, my lifestyle change journey really began about eight years ago. But I didn't become aware of it until about three years ago when I consciously decided I needed to lead a "lighter" life and started by cleaning out the medicine cabinet.

It seems so simple now, but it took three months before I could let go of the contents of that 14 x 16 inch space. Every time I went in that cabinet, a more honest assessment yielded more trash. Soon it became easier to be honest about the clutter of my life, at least the old stuff.

Memory stuff was not so easy -- things my parents gave me, my ex- husband, old boyfriends, friends -- I'm sure you get the picture. Of course, the kids' stuff was the hardest. But practice does make perfect, and in time I was able to make hard choices about what was really important to me.

Slowly but steadily over the next three years I conquered the rest of my house -- purging and cleaning every corner, cabinet and room.

Happy with what I'd accomplished, by fall of 2005 I was ready to focus on other life shifting goals. It was as if cleaning out the medicine cabinet and the rest of the house was the catalyst for other, bigger changes.

And the messages to make changes were all around me. Early in November 2005, I started hearing them. "It's time to really shift." I heard Dr. Phil, television's well-known therapist, say whenever I clicked on his show.

I didn't watch him very often but when my intuition said tape it or turn on the tube, I did, and there was the same message, "If it isn't working for you, change it." The timing was always impeccable. Of course, he expressed the message in different words.

But even with these coincidences, I heard the bold words but didn't take any action. Then the messages started bombarding me. Small, soft, large and loud. They kept coming. In early December, while in a meditative state, I heard it.

This time very clearly, very direct AND very, very loud, and firm. "Its time to really commit and get bold. Its time to reinvent yourself, Catherine."

All I could do was give a throat chuckle. The message scared the heebie jeebies out of me. Over the space of the week my feelings transitioned into, "Okay, I'm open, what do you mean by that?" I asked even though I had a good idea what it meant. The vision of selling everything and changing my environment to be much lighter, more Zen-like.

I've needed to lose a lot of weight (that was always a goal). But this time it was different, it wasn't the weight at all. It was, "Get healthy. There's a lot in store for you, and you need to be healthy in order to get there."

The picture got clearer as each week progressed. Key items appeared, I got nervous, questioned it, mulled over it, ran and tried to hide for a few hours from it, shared my doubts with my best friend, Brenda. The doubts faded but my lack of trust in myself didn't totally go away. I kept wanting all the answers. I want to know exactly what I was to do and how to do it.

The New Year is here now and I know what I need to do, although I still have no clue of what it all means. The thoughts of measuring up to the vision is still a little nerve wracking. Doubts come and go but only when I really don't want to eat healthy or exercise.

One step, now, is all I can focus on. Eat healthy now. Exercise now. Sell one piece of furniture now. Its replacement will come. I know all will come at the right time. And I think that is the only thing that keeps me in the "now" of working towards wherever this "reinventing Catherine" message is leading me.

I hold on to the vision that has been there for the last few months as I really like its picture. Yesterday, I spent some time working on my 2006 Attraction Board. It had been in the works since early November but the pictures weren't clear. Yesterday, while in the craft store things began to mesh.

This week I plan on test-driving new cars, deciding on which one I like, and placing its picture on my Attraction Board so that the universal laws will bring it to me.

When messages come of steps that you want to take, allow yourself to go through the emotions, but don't get stuck in the feelings. Keep the door open because the message you receive may only be a partial picture.

If you block it because it seems too big or impossible or unimportant, then the next message, the one that explains it or gives it additional clarity, won't get through to you. Even profound decisions often mask themselves as many simple choices -- like cleaning out a medicine cabinet -- and only take a few moments to make.

So be ready. Keep the doors open to the possibilities and listen -- messages can come from the strangest places -- a television program, a child, a piece of music, a memory or your own behavior. It really isn't difficult. It is a decision though. It is a choice.

(c) Copyright 2006, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.

Catherine Franz, is a syndicated columnist, author, radio host, International speaker, and master business coach. http://www.abundancecenter.com

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

Another Way To Get Things Done Faster - Modeling or Mentorships

I was thinking about my blog post earlier and thought of another way I get things done perhaps with a simpler and faster strategy. I'll share it with you here, but it is not new information, many use this strategy to speed their journey to their goals. I think Tony Robbins was one of the first to popularize modeling and mentoring for me.

I follow the expert's advice about going to those who had more experience in what I want to do and ask for help. You would be surprised how many people will help you if you would just reach out to them.

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Are you lost as to what to do next? Have you plateaued? Want to get to your goals faster? Save time and energy by modeling other successful people who have gone before you. Ask yourself some empowering questions.

Who is already getting or who has already achieved the results I want? Who can be my hero? What are they doing or What have they done that I can model. How can I interview them, How Can I get access to how they did it, and what do I need to do right now to secure this information from them?

Do I know them? If I don't know them, how can I meet them? How can I get together with them? How can I get to know them? What value can I provide to them so this can be a win-win situation for all involved? Have they documented their journey so I can study their thought processes somehow?

Find books, audio tapes, CD's, or videos of people who have been successful with the goal you want. Immerse yourself in the details of how they overcome every obstacle that presented itself to them for solution. Focus on solutions instead of problems.

Learn what others have done before you. Most of the time, this gives us shortcuts to our goals. Model their thinking and how they approached the goal, and you will always have the road to your goal laid out before you.

Read their map, make your plan, and follow your heart.

See you next time.

Al Smith

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A Simple Goal Setting Strategy - Keep Your Fingers On The Pulse Of Your Life

Well, September is here already and the first eight months of 2007 are now history.

How is your history reading? How are your goals coming for this year? Are you where you wanted to be by this time? At the end of September, nine months into this year, three quarters of 2007 in the past, how will you be doing?

It is time again to analyze what you've done and what you haven't, to see where you need to adjust your strategies to win your prize. There is still plenty of time to pack in some concentrated effort to get you where you want to be by the end of this year.

Some of my goals are right on track and some are not. After taking a hard look at what I want, I will not pursue the ones which no longer make sense to me. At the same time, I will recommit and intensify my efforts to those that are. And I have added some to my list.

It is the same every year. Once you start on the path, and you are actually in the fight, there are some things that stand out as incongruent with your higher purpose. I do not beat myself up over it. I just adjust and move onward to more of the right things.

This is simple goal setting strategy at work. Plan, organize, execute, followup and adjust as necessary to happily achieve what's important and fulfilling to you. Always moving inexorably towards your major focus. Follow your life's purpose at all times and you will joyfully travel your challenge strewn path through life.

Embrace the challenges. They will make up some of your best memories and give you some of the best stories to tell after you successfully negotiate them. This I know to be absolutely true.

I hope that you are getting the results that you want. You never know how close you are to the prize until you look up and see it right in front of you.

Recommit to those goals that are still important to you, and redouble your efforts. Discard those goals that don't make sense anymore and focus on where you want to be at the end of this year. We don't want to get emotional over what we need to get rid of in order to clear and concentrate our energies.

As always, Go For It!

Al

Getting Emotional Is Key To Getting Results!

First, I just wanted to point out a great article post over at The NLP Weekly Website about "Conditioning Yourself" for maximum effectiveness during sometimes difficult habit changes. Check it out, there is some good info there. And on another blog to go along with that post, Steve Pavlina makes a good case for the use of Overwhelming Force to create results.

Next, I loved the quote in our article today about how powerful emotions add to the effectiveness of your goal setting program. When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble setting proper goals because I couldn't decide which goal to commit myself to. As if I wouldn't be able to change once I commited myself to a certain direction . . .

Anyway the quote to which I am refering is "Focus less energy on setting the perfect goal and spend more time preparing yourself for ultimate success."

I certainly could have used this information earlier! (or maybe I wasn't quite ready to see it's importance back then)

Top goal achievers all agree on one thing. We must get very emotional about our goals or we are wasting our time setting them. How emotional are you about your present goals?

Do they really move you to action, or are they leaving you stagnant? Are you excited about your life? If not you have some work to do in this area.

This is an awesome article today from an expert who knows and practices his stuff. Make some notes about how you can start to apply this in your goals program today.

Emotions are tremendously powerful when it comes to getting ourselves to take action.

Just something to think about today. Enjoy!

Going Beyond Goal Setting
By Kevin Eikenberry

I just Googled the phrase “goal setting”, and found approximately 3,600,000 web pages that relate in some way to that phrase. This shouldn’t surprise us, because conventional wisdom is that goal setting is an important skill.

It is easy to document both through anecdotal evidence as well as through research that setting goals can help us achieve more. There are hundreds of books, tapes, speeches, workshops, and websites that will provide us with tools and processes to set goals.

One would think for something as important as goal setting, with as many tools as there are available, that everyone would be a goal setter. This however isn’t the case.

While I could fill a book with the reasons why, there is one that is very important.

People don’t set goals now because they didn’t achieve the ones they set in the past.

They’ve followed the goal setting process they learned or read about, but the seminar or book stopped at the wrong time. The seminar stopped with the setting of the goal. That is like ending the game after the first play, then going to sit on the sidelines, while the goal is out on the playing field.

My advice to you, if you can identify with what you’ve just read is to stop worrying about goal setting. And start focusing on goal achieving.

In other words, stop worrying about which goal setting model to use, or which software to track your progress with. Stop making the goal setting process the focus, and start putting the focus on goal achievement.

Here are three things you can do to put our focus on goal achievement and drastically increase your success:

1. Get sick and tired. It is often said that people really begin to reach new health goals when they become “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Achieving a goal means that you want something different than you have now.

To build your ongoing and sustaining drive to achieve the new item, knowledge or situation, you must become disgusted and dissatisfied with the current situation. This doesn’t mean that you should become bitter or grumpy.

Rather it means to develop a healthy dissatisfaction with the way things are now (current profitability, the cycle time for new product development, or your inability to find a bathroom in Brazil).

2. Get (and stay) excited about the result. To sustain the challenges, setbacks and disappointments along your way to goal achievement, you must have another motivation as well. You must really want the benefits that will come to you when the new goal is achieved.

Build a clear and compelling picture in your mind of what you will feel, sense, see, and believe once your goal has been achieved. Focus on the results you will gain from the goal, rather than just the goal itself. This is important because in the end this is what you are after, not “just” the goal itself.

As you work towards your goal, the goal might shift, but as long as the desired results remain clear, you have improved the likelihood of achieving the end result you desire.

3. Start a plan and get started. Notice I didn’t say to lay out a complete plan of all the steps between you and your goal. If your goal is of any size and importance at all, it will require many steps, and it will be very difficult/impossible to identify them with any degree of certainty at the start.

Too many people think they need the perfect plan. They delay starting so they can get the best information. They want to talk to one more expert, read one more book, examine two more options.

Get started already! Give yourself a clear idea of a general approach, and some clear first steps. Allow yourself the luxury of knowing that the next specific steps will become clear as you stay on the path.

Doing these three things will drastically increase your success in achieving any goal you set.

Actually, let me say it more strongly. Until you have these three factors going for you in large (although potentially varying) amounts, you won’t achieve the goals you set.

You will lose momentum. You will lose focus. You will lose hope. You won’t be able to overcome the first setback.

And you will fall into the convenient and comfortable thinking that goal setting “doesn’t work” for you or that you need a new tool, a new technique or a new guru to help you set “better” goals.

Whether you are setting goals for yourself, the team you lead or for your organization at large, take this advice to heart.

Focus less energy on setting the perfect goal and spend more time preparing yourself for ultimate success. Stop worrying about the resolution, and start focusing on the resolve that will be required to succeed.

Doing this will bring you greater success, less frustration and will help you and your organization move closer and closer to your potential.

By Kevin Eikenberry, Copyright All Rights Reserved

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company.

To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Another Perspective To Time Management

Before we get to our article today, please check out the post at Steve Pavlina's Blog about making time for the very important but not urgent actions we need to take to really impact our life.

24 Hour Car Wash - OPEN
By John Di Lemme

I know that you are saying...

"John, what do you mean by 24 Hour Car Wash - Open?"

I am going to break down that exact title.

*24*

24 hours in a day. What do we all have in common? We all have 24 hours in a day. Specifically, we all have 86,400 seconds to maximize and predict our future each and every day.

The question you have to ask yourself is...

Are you taking advantage of the 24 hours, or is the 24 hours taking advantage of you?

Most people, after 65 years of 24 hours a day, are dead or dead broke - 97% of them.

What do the 3% do versus the 97%?

They all had 24 hours a day for them to take advantage of. The answer is they made different decisions and they were accountable for their actions each day and they focused on their Why. They focused on their daily goals, and they made things occur. The difference of the 97%er's versus the 3%er's is they took advantage of the 86,400 seconds over time.

See most people focus on working overtime.

Take advantage of time over working overtime, which means, 86,400 seconds, that is 24 hours open every day for you, in order for you to fulfill, sustain, manifest, and predict your future.

Now let's move forward to 24 hour car wash.

*Car*

What is a Car? A car is a vehicle that moves us, takes us from Point A to Point B. As an entrepreneur, the vehicle you are in right now is your business. Remember, you are always building your business; you are not working your business. People that have a job, work a job. People that build a business, entrepreneurs, build long term.

You have to start to understand the power that lies within your car, which is the business vehicle that you are in.

You drive it.

You steer it.

You control it.

It only goes where the driver drives it too. That is why you must take advantage of the time. You must understand the power that lies within the vehicle. You must absolutely predict your future to be a 3%er.

*Wash*

What does Wash mean? 24 Hour Car Wash. How many of you brush your teeth everyday? I know all of you do. How many of you take a shower everyday? I hope all of you do....

It's when you cleanse your physical body to rid it of the toxins and dirt that build up on the external part of your body. Yet, the most important part of predicting your future is the internal toxins and waste that build up. You must create the habit of personal development each day, to wash the negative toxins that the mind, heart, and sprit get bombarded by each day.

Not lightly....BOMBARDED...it's like a category 5 hurricane that comes through South Florida.....versus scattered showers.

There is a BIG difference. Your mind is bombarded each day. It is like a category 5 hurricane of negative words. Negative words are in the background while the radio is playing, in magazines, advertisements, billboards, newspapers, etc. 97% of what is in print and what your eyes see every day is and what your ears receive every day is negative.

You have to absolutely commit to washing those toxins away.

I believe you are a Champion. Therefore, you have to commit to 60 minutes minimum of personal development each day of your 86,400 seconds, and you must commit to one hour of personal development washing. When you combine those two things, you begin to use your 24 hours to your advantage.

Understand the power that lies within your vehicle, your car, the business you are building, and commit to washing your mind, heart, and spirit every day.

The 24 Hour Car Wash concept will change your life forever.

That is the goal.

Take advantage of it.

I look forward to hearing the results from it.

And remember......

Simplicity to Success Lies In the Basic Fundamentals

Creating 1000 Millionaires by the Day! John Di Lemme was a 24-year-old stutterer working in his family art gallery that dreamed of becoming a world-renowned motivational speaker. Desperate to achieve his goal, he answered an ad that allowed him to break free of the art gallery and build his own business.

Through his business, John built a massive marketing team of over 25,000 representatives in 10 countries and earned a seven figure passive residual income. Seven years later, John retired to Palm Beach, Florida where he continues to live the life of the rich and not so famous.

John has achieved great success as an international motivational speaker, accomplished author and multi-million dollar entrepreneur. His latest best selling book is “Find Your Why & Fly! – The Ultimate Success Factor.” John is also the co-host of an international television show and was a featured real estate investor on CNBC Power Lunch.

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

The Real Secret To Making A Change - Change Your Thoughts First!

Eight Steps to Success in Life - Change Your Thoughts and You Can Change Your Life

Your thoughts are closely related to the real world around you. You may feel that your thoughts are a result of the world around you. Not true! By carefully choosing your thoughts you can control the world you live in and choose what you want to see in your life…

All human beings, including you are living in two different realities at one time – the reality of the physical world around you and the reality of the world of thoughts. You probably make the same mistake as everyone else which is to allow your thoughts to be controlled by the physical ‘reality’ you see around you.

You allow your inner mind to react to circumstances. As a consequence you are not able to experience the creative power of your inner mind. The true power of your inner mind is that you can create the circumstances that you desire. Your thoughts can be very powerful and can affect the reality around you. They will affect the way you perceive the world around you, the decisions you take, the way you act. All these things will lead to changes in the world around you.

Individual thoughts are quite weak, a bit like grains of sand. But if there are enough of them and they are well enough organised, your thoughts can become like a mighty sand dune that imposes itself on the landscape. The challenge is to ensure that your thoughts are consistent and focussed so that they add up to a single coherent whole.

The tragedy is that you may go through your life unaware of the majority of your thoughts and not recognising the way they affect your life. If you had to weigh up the thousands of thoughts you have each day and balance positive with negative, which way would the scales tip? Many of your thoughts are deeply held beliefs, fears, attitudes, hopes and worries that you may only experience as emotions when you react to circumstances.

One of the key steps in achieving greater success is to change your thoughts and align them with your desired direction in life. You need to start with a clear set of goals and adopt a positive mental attitude. If you constantly tell yourself that what you want will never happen or it’s too difficult for you, the chances are it will never happen. On the other hand, if you adopt that attitude that you can do it, all you’ve got to do is figure out how, you will…

The challenge is to learn how to direct as many of your thoughts as possible in the direction that you want to go. If you want more money but your present reality is that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills every month, it can be very difficult to maintain wealthy thoughts for a significant period of time each day.

It can be difficult to direct your thoughts where you want to go, but it is not impossible. It may help you to think of your mind like a garden – you want to grow the beautiful flowers of your dreams. Like any good gardener, you are going to have to do battle with the weeds that want to choke them and turn your garden into a wasteland every day. As you work at your mental garden, the weeds gradually loose their hold and your garden flourishes.

Changing your thoughts is an important step to success. You need to align your thoughts with the results you want in life.

by Kevin John

Would you like to learn more about eight steps to success in life? Download my latest e-book here Secrets of a Millionaire Mindset. Visit my website for more resources, articles, and support materials about success and personal growth.

Kevin John has spent many years helping businesses owners, aspiring business owners, and private individuals to develop the understanding and skills needed to achieve the success that they want. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_J._John

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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Goal Work - Who Are You Spending Time With?

I just finished reading a post over at Dave Navarro's Wealth Blog and I just wanted to pass the link on to you. Great article as always Dave!

Have a look at: Surround Yourself With The Right People, because I totally agree that who you associate with will determine how successful you will be in attaining your goals. After you finish reading his post come on back and read an exercise that will help you make the transition.

Goal Work - Who Are You Spending Time With?

Are You Associating With People Who Can Help You Get What You Want?

This is critical to your success. It may be time to pull out the old log book and detail how much time you spend with others and whether their interests align with yours.

Success Masters say they can tell you where you will be in 5 years by the books you read and the people you associate with. Here is an easy exercise to tell whether you will end up where you want to be, or at least what you have to do more work on.

Evaluate your time in the area of whom you spend it with and who has the most or strongest influence over you at this time. Be brutally honest with yourself. There is no good, bad, wrong, or right here, just what is.

Take it over the last week, or month, or year.

Write down all of the people you spent time with at work, or personally, friendships, significant other, mentors, associations, or mastermind group, and list them in any order. If you can, approximate how much time you spend each week with them.

Then, arrange them from top to bottom, with the top being the most time spent, and the bottom being the least time spent. Draw a line through the halfway point. The top half of your list probably accounts for 3/4 or more of your time, and this should be spent with relationships that serve each other's needs and goals, not those who have conflicting aspirations.

Are the people at the top half of the list those who support you, or have similar goals? If this is not the case, then you have some work to do in this area. Work to build relationships with those who can support you in your life's journey. (And the other way around) Get that top half filled with people in alignment with your goals and just watch the magic happen!

I am not recommending that you drop your present friends if they are not pursuing a same or similar path to your own. But . . . if they are real friends of yours, they will be happy that you are spending more time fulfilling your passion and will enjoy hearing about your successes, when you do get to spend some time with them.

In life, you must associate more with those who are moving in the same direction as you want to go, and whose goals align with yours. Even better if they are slightly ahead of where you want to be. If you choose not to heed this very important principle, your journey will be more difficult. Believe me, I know this from cold hard experience. As always, the choice is yours.

Good Luck, start the exercise now . . . (I always wanted to say that. LOL.)

Al Smith

If you continue to have difficulty with negative people in your life then you may have a long, hard road ahead of you. To keep your self esteem high, have a look at this article, Be Your Own Cheerleader

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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A Tough Morning . . .

A Tough Morning This Morning

. . . and It probably won't be the last . . .

WOW! I had a hard time powering up this morning. Usually I can spring right up and get going, you know, attack the day sort of thing. Well . . . this particular morning was a little different. I felt tired and didn't want to start the day. I thought . . . just let me sleep another hour. Yeah, right!

I have been burning the candle at both ends, maybe I just needed that extra hour. Maybe that was all that it was. I think it more likely that with all the decisions I have been making lately, I have started to move deeper into uncharted territory.

I have commited to literally changing the whole direction of my life. A life that has been pretty safe and secure for quite a few years I might add.

Am I having some second thoughts about whether I can succeed at it or not? After all, I have never attempted this before. What makes me think that I can succeed, where many people fail? It got me wondering. And it was affecting my state. Shaking my confidence. Definitely not good, not good.

Me, MR. Positive. LOL! Has that ever happened to you? I can almost guarantee that if you have ever made a decision to step out of the old comfort zone, that you have felt this way a few times. Only natural.

However this morning, habit took hold of me, and got me to the sink where I splashed ice cold water all over my face and that was the end of my indecision. I was mobile. I started to say to myself "I feel happy, I feel healthy, I feel TERRIFIC! . . . again, and again.

The insecurity was replaced with energy and enthusiasm, and I went on with my day. Three things got me through this rough wake up. Habit, Physiology, and Belief.

What gets you through your tough mornings?

I will complete my plans for a new life, and succeed in any undertaking I commit to. How do I know this?

I believe it deep down in my core that I am worthy and that I will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Have you installed that belief pattern in yourself yet?

If not, do it now! You absolutely can not know the feeling I am talking about until you have.

Al Smith

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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
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Make Good Choices, Commit To Your Decisions

Before we get to today's article, I'd like to announce that the Current Realgoalgetter Ezine is now online. Enjoy!

Why And How To Make Making Choices That Are In Your Best Interest A Daily Occurrence

The dictionary defines choice as “the act of choosing; selection; the power, right, or liberty to choose; option; an alternative”. We sometimes hear ourselves or others say, “I have no choice,” when really what we mean is “I feel obligated.” There is always a choice.

Sometimes one must choose between two unattractive alternatives and often times making the choice that is best for you carries with it repercussions from friends or coworkers, but that isn’t the same as actually having no choice at all. I encourage and challenge you not to confuse hard choices with no choices.

Of course, before making your best choice, it’s necessary to know what is important to you so you can make choices that honor your values. Think of your values as the essence of who you are. They are the principles that you hold dear.

You already have your values, now you need to identify them so that you can orient you life, by making choices that are appropriate for you, around them. To that end, the following exercise will help you identify your top four values.

IDENTIFYING YOUR TOP 4 VALUES

Take some time and find yourself a quiet corner where you can concentrate. Read through the list below. Choose twenty words that resonate with you, that either thrill you or make you cringe. Feel free to add your own words to the list before making your choices.

Look over your list of twenty and narrow it to ten words. If you have difficulty choosing between two, look for one word that encompasses the meaning of those two. Then narrow the ten words to the four words that you feel fully represent your top four life values.

Print these four on index or note cards and put them in conspicuous places around your home and/or office as a reminder of what is most important to you. Refer to the list when you are making decisions so that you can be sure to make decisions that honor your values.

Abundance, Achievement, Adventure, Ambition, Authenticity, Beauty, Challenge, Charity, Creativity, Dignity, Enjoyment, Equality, Excellence, Expertness, Faith, Family, Freedom, Friendship, Fun, Health, Honesty, Honor, Hope, Humility, Humor, Independence, Inner harmony, Integrity, Joy, Justice, Kindness, Leadership, Learning, Legacy, Love, Loyalty, Nurture, Organization, Power, Recognition, Relationships, Religion, Respect, Respite, Risk, Safety, Security, Service, Sharing, Simplicity, Spirituality, Success, Tradition, Tranquility, Trust, Truth, Wealth.

If you don’t get that “aha” feeling that you’ve chosen exactly the right top four values, revisit this exercise in a day or two and then a week later to be sure of your choices. Knowing what you value most in life is the first step toward choosing what you want to add to or eliminate from your life in order to create your perfect life.

Three Tips for Making Good Decisions:

1. Make a list of the pros and cons of each choice and choose based on the quantity and quality of those elements.

2. Ask yourself just before you fall asleep what is the best choice to make and see what you are thinking in the morning.

3. Listen to your body. When you think of which choice you want to make in your head, how does your body react: are you excited, feeling woozy or sick, fearful? Your body often knows the right choice long before your mind does.

By Ruth Hegarty

Ruth Hegarty is a confidence coach who helps people increase their personal and professional confidence for greater self-esteem, happiness, and success.

http://www.ruthhegarty.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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A Nice Long Break. I'm Back Now . . . With A Positive Imagination

Well, that was a nice long break from posting.

After three years I wasn't feeling the enjoyment anymore or the thrill of sharing quality information. I began to feel more like I was chained to these blogs and that if I stopped writing all that I had built would all come crashing down, so I continued because I feared losing momentum.

I was no longer doing this because I wanted to, or that's what I imagined anyway. Well, I have never been an advocate of doing things for negative reasons or because of fear motivation. I bit the bullet, I stopped posting on all my blogs and took a much deserved break. And you know what?

The traffic to this site actually went up during this time period because of all I had written previously. Most of the information on this site is "evergreen", or to put it simply, never goes out of season. It is always relevant. And . . . I had been imagining the worst possible scenario if I stopped writing.

Success information is and has been written about since the beginning of time, and most of the principles never change. We just change our vocabulary from time to time so it is more acceptable in the present day language. People seem to understand it better if it is written in present day lingo and slang.

Anyway, I digress . . .

While I was reading last night, I came across some information I did want to share with you.

It comes from one of my favorite books, The Magic Of Thinking Big. The topic: Learn to see things for what they can be, not for what they are now, practice adding value. Use your imagination as a positve force.

"People who don't have much, see themselves as they are now. That's all they see. They don't see a future, they just see a miserable present.

I'm determined not to let what I haven't got stop me! I've made up my mind to look at myself as the person I'm going to be in a few short years."

1. Practice adding value to yourself.
Ask yourself this question daily. "What can I do to make myself more valuable today?" Visualize yourself not as you are but as you can be. Then, specific ways to attaining your potential value will suggest themselves to you.

2. Practice adding value to things.
This is what they do in real estate investing. For example, What can I do to 'add value' to this room, or this house, or this business? Look for ideas to make things worth more. A thing -- whether it be a vacant lot, a house, a business or a product -- has value in proportion to the ideas for using it.

There is more information in the book obviously, but you can get the idea. Value is everywhere, value is determined only by our imagination.

And your imagination is all powerful, it can be a force for positive, or in my case previously, a force for negative. I'm back now! For the right reasons again . . .

Dreams Seem Too Far Away Or Too Difficult To Believe? Bring Your Dreams Closer.

5 Ways to Focus on Your Dreams

How do you focus on your dream when life experiences show that you're far from it? Here are five simple ways to develop the focus that will get you moving...

1. SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF.
Put it on a shelf and open yourself to actually experience new ways of creating positive momentum toward realizing your dreams. The most limiting factor is to think that because something is simple, it won't work. When you buy into this, you have either just placed a tremendous bolder in front of you or veered off your path completely.

2. IMAGINE CONSCIOUSLY.
The conscious aspect involved in imagining on purpose is very important. When we're in a place of despondency and feeling the density of the hardships in life, we're imagining very powerfully, to our detriment. When our imagination is activated in this way, we get more and more of the density we want to be rid of.

Yet universal laws cannot be denied, like gravity, believe it or not, yet it's in always in action. The Law of Attraction (what we place our attention to, increases) is one such law. When you're imagining everything that can go wrong because what has gone wrong has been in your field of attention, it of course takes you backward and further away from how you really want to live.

Consciously decide to use your imagination differently, to your advantage. Imaging what you DO want without paying attention to the ABSENCE of it's existence in your current life. Imagine what it will FEEL like as though it's taking place right now, this moment. This is what being in the moment is. Use your moments wisely by deciding to imagine what it is you want, this moment, and feel it.

3. DAYDREAM.
Yes, daydream. It's a way to use your imagination,and a simple yet valuable tool to practice. Allow this process to help you build the bridge from where you are to where you want to be. People who are living their dreams have stopped listening to the voices of the past that have yelled at them for daydreaming.

It's a simple matter of using our daydreams on purpose, using many moments throughout our day, which become the respite that rejuvenates us; day dreaming renews our energy. When you daydream, make sure you're actually FEELING that life you'd like to be living. Imagination fuels your daydreaming.

4. DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TOWARD THE POSITIVE.
This is very different and far beyond positive thinking. Deciding to look for what's positive changes your focus toward what is in your life right now that reminds you of the abundance you currently have. Directing your attention toward the positive shifts your thoughts and feelings toward gratitude rather than lack.

Finding just one thought that feels better than the last, even a little better, will help you focus on what is positive right now. Then make sure to put as much emphasis on feeling that positive aspect as fully as possible.

When your thoughts and feelings are in alignment with what you truly want, you've taken the first half of the action to move forward; the second part of the action will be steps that you take, inspired actions that you enjoy, because you have opened yourself up to inspiration that positive thought and feeling have produced. It's easy then to move forward with doing that action because you are inspired by it.

5. ENGAGE.
This means begin immediately: feel what you want to be living and practice feeling it more often. There's no need to wait; actually, this now moment is the best moment to begin; it always is.

by Gabriele Reign

Gabriele Reign is a Visionary, Relationship Coach and Author of dynamics that guide you to create and manifest the life you've always imagined for yourself. To begin creating a live you love, visit: http://www.DynamicRelationshipsNow.com

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

Motivation And Discipline, A Powerful Tag Team Partnership!

Motivation and Discipline - How to Make Yourself Succeed

One of the hardest things a person can do is make himself (or herself) do something he really doesn't want to do just because he knows it's good for him. Motivation is not only a good thing, it is absolutely necessary before anyone will act to do anything. Here is my definition:

Motivation
A set of psychological factors, having been met, creates an impulsion to act. An internal impelling of someone to want or be willing to do something.

That means, if someone is doing something, they must be motivated. If they are not doing it, they must not be motivated to do it, or they are motivated more to do something else. That is a fact. And that fact means that you must be motivated to do something or you won't do it. But how do we account for doing things we don't seem to be motivated to do?

The answer is what I call "Cross-over motivation".

Again a definition:

Cross-Over Motivation
The use of a motivation to do one thing to make yourself want or be willing to do something else.

An example is: you really want to date a particular person, so you ask them out to do something you don't like to do (for instance, such as bowling) because they do like to go. Here, you are not motivated to go bowling, but you use your want to date this person as your cause to go anyway. To use a crossover motivation on purpose is called discipline.

We will look at discipline in a moment, but notice that what motivates the person to act isn't the want to go bowling. There is a cross-over desire to do or have a greater good that is accomplished through going bowling.

It is a very powerful way to overcome an emotional response to something (such as disgust or annoyance) and stay focused on a more reliable approach to achieving your ultimate goals. This can easily be applied to both life in general and work.

Think about those mornings in school or college when you had an eight o'clock calculus class (or whatever) you really didn't want to attend. You were far more motivated to snuggle back up to your pillow and fughetaboudit!

But in most cases you went to class. Why? Because in the back of your mind you heard a little voice say "you've already missed three classes and one more means you flunk the course. If you want a good job (or to get into med or law or graduate school, or don't want to hear your parents carp) you better get your anatomy out of bed and into class." That is what you were trying to accomplish...not going to calculus.

Of course the cross-over motivation might have been that you wanted to do well and you knew that missing the class would not help you do it. This is still not a direct motivation to be there. If you thought it was simply a review of what you already knew and you had three free skip days left, my bet is you would have turned back over and sawed logs.

In our every day lives and at work, we often find ourselves having to do things we really don't want (an emotional state) to do, so we look for a way to "make" ourselves do them. Use this cross-over motivation on purpose. Think about what larger purpose you serve in doing this unpleasant task--how it will help you or someone else in the longer run, or hurt you or someone else if you don't do it.

Here is my definition for discipline:

Discipline
The ability to take the motivation for one thing, and focus on it as a motivation to do something you neither want nor would be otherwise willing to do.

An example is that you are so motivated to get into graduate school, that you use that motivator to make yourself study for an algebra exam tonight. You neither want nor would be otherwise willing to read algebra, but you use this alternate motivation as your impeller.

It is sometimes the job of a manager, supervisor, mom, dad, friend or counselor to remind others of the larger picture or the greater vision that can be used as a cross-over motivator. We all lose sight of our longer term goals sometimes as we focus on the immediate.

If you consciously look for cross-over motivations for yourself, and help others see the benefits of doing useful but unpleasant things, there will be a great deal more accomplished in your life and in the lives of those you love.

This is the very essence of courage, to stand up to strong emotions (such as dislike, disgust, complacency, indifference, etc.) and making yourself do the "right" thing. Try it once today, and prove it to yourself.

Cogito! You can't enjoy the Christmas lights if you don't put them up. No one likes to do what they don't like to do, but we very often like the result of doing it. Always keep your eye on the prize and forget the struggle. Nothing of value comes without it.

by Phil D'Agostino

Phil D'Agostino, the author of Naked Thinking, how to feel less, think more and make better decisions, is a licensed psychologist, author of the email broadcast E-Motivator, professional speaker and corporate trainer, personal coach and human performance specialist. See his book at NakedThinking.com and his site at BeMotivated.Com

Adapted from Phil D'Agostino's Naked Thinking

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_D'Agostino

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