The Most Inspirational Video You Will Ever See - Nick Vujicic's Story

 

How to Change Your Life by Changing Your Thinking

 "No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit." - Helen Keller

Depending on where you are living, you could be waking up to spring daffodils and birdsong or, you may be shoveling out from the latest snowfall. Sometimes it feels as though nothing is happening and that today is just a repeat of yesterday. But, whatever your circumstances, remember, this too shall pass. Change is just around the corner.

How can you make the most out of what is or isn't happening in your life at this time? You may not be able to change your circumstances but how could you change your attitude toward your circumstances? What if you were to flip whatever you're telling yourself about your circumstances and re-frame it so that it empowers you? For instance, try removing the words, should, could, can't or never from your self-talk. Replace these with words that build you up rather than tear you down.

We are all engaged in too much negative self-talk. Just look around and you will see it reflected back in the world. The more we focus and talk about everything that is wrong in the world, the more we collectively seed the thought pool of lack and limitation. It's this all or nothing thinking that keeps us stuck in this endless pattern.

Wouldn't it be more fun to feast on thoughts and words that accentuate the positive in our lives? We can all do this by paying attention to what we think and say. As thoughts come up in your mind, notice how you feel. You can tell by the way you feel if your thoughts are uplifting or taking you in a downward spiral of negativity.

Watch what you say. Your words contain powerful energy. Whatever you say out loud acts like a boomerang and comes straight back to you. The point is, you have the power to choose in each moment which path you want to travel through life on. You don't have to go it alone. Find others who are stepping off the beaten path to support you. You could start a book group or join a group with others who may be interested personal growth. You can start right now to plant new seeds of positive thoughts then water them daily with positive affirmations.

You can change your life. One thought at a time.

Nancy Bishop is a Life Change Coach providing a menu of coaching programs serving women at midlife who want to blend their passions with purpose. Visit her website http://www.yourlifeyourway.com for more information and to subscribe to her monthly newsletter.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nancy_Bishop/999

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6030486

Questioning Yourself To Successful Habit Changes

 Being a professional in the goal-setting field, I find it fascinating to witness some of the machinations we will go through to achieve our objectives.

There are countless apps designed to help one achieve goals, ranging from diet and exercise, to being more organized, to simply uplifting one's mood. For those less inclined to make change via an app, I've heard of some who journal, use to-do lists, or even pray and meditate on the desired outcomes. Of course, hiring a coach helps too. (Hint, hint... )

I am not judging any technique. If you're dedicated to your goals and willing to do the work, however you choose it, more power to you - especially in this ever-stressful world in which we find ourselves. That said, if you personally felt stuck and would like to make some changes; whether health-related, financial, or emotional, this four-question process is ridiculously easy to use and amazingly effective.

Question #1: Suppose I was successful; how would I know?

It seems silly to start here, but the reality is oft-times we fall short of our objectives because we've never defined the outcome clearly. We say "I want to feel better," or "I want to get more fit." Whereby those are lofty intentions, they're not concrete enough to drive us to an endpoint. Sure, they might get us started, but we'll often stall because we don't know when we've arrived and the journey feels daunting and without end.

It's more effective to state a goal such as "I will walk 30 minutes three times a week;" or "I will take time each day to write down five things for which I'm grateful.'

Being able to identify a clear change in behavior is essential to achieving goals.

Question #2: What has to happen for that objective to occur?

Obviously, if we were doing what we needed to do, we'd already be where we want to be. Since we're not yet "there," something must adjust. To that end, we have basically four options: start a new behavior; stop an existing behavior; do more of an already-existing behavior; or do less of an existing behavior.

Behavioral changes therefore might be, "put a 30-minute activity appointment in my calendar on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday;" or "reserve 10 minutes each morning to record those things for which I'm grateful."

The trick here is not to line out an entire series of changes, but to define one simple, effective adjustment you can make to move forward.

Question #3: Can I do that?

If you are not in complete control of what the behavioral change, success is left up to fate.

For example, if - in Question #2 - you stated, "Find a walking partner;" that leaves you stagnant until your find someone who shares your goal. Even if you do find a walking partner, what happens if she gets sick or decides she doesn't want to continue your joint-regimen? You're back to square one.

It doesn't mean you can't bring others along on your journey, but the path must be structured to move you forward irrespective of whether anyone else helps or hinders you.

By the way, if the answer to Question #3 is not "Yes," that means your goal in Question #1 is wrong for you. Make it smaller or rework it.

Question #4: Will I do that?

This requires brutal honesty with yourself. Sure, technically you can do that, but will you? Answers such as, "As soon as... " or "When the weather changes... " or "I'll try... " are merely fancier ways of saying, "No." There's no judgement in "No," but it highlights a truth; that truth being, "I'm not going to."

Either commit to doing it or go back to Question #1 and start again.

Repeat these four questions until you can get all the way to the end. Most times, you'll have to go through this process several times, each time whittling down your objective, until it all fits. Once that happens, the final bonus question kicks in:

Special Bonus Question: By when?

You've outlined your goal, determined what you have to do, realized it's indeed in your control, and committed to doing it. Next step is to set a deadline. By the way, "ASAP" is not a deadline as everything else will take higher priority.

Without deadlines, there's no urgency. Without urgency, there's very virtually no chance you'll move forward.

Scott "Q" Marcus refers to himself as "recovering perfectionist" because after losing 70 pounds in 1994, he realized it's better to do something well than nothing perfectly. He now conducts playful, lively speeches, workshops, and presentations throughout the country on how to achieve goals, improve attitude, and enhance communication. His presentations are described as a "cross between business 101, group therapy, and a southern revival." You can contact him for speaking, coaching or consulting, or you can sign up for his free ezine, "This Time I Mean It" at http://www.ThisTimeIMeanIt.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Scott_Marcus/214017

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10329226

The 4 Secrets To Build Your Self Discipline - Marisa Peer

 

Don't Put Off Beating Procrastination

 If you want to write something - whether that's a novel, a self-help book or an email autoresponder campaign - there's one thing you have to do.

You have to put pen to paper, so to speak.

Because all the best writing skills and ideas won't get you very far. At some point, you have to create something.

But, for many folk, something inside blocks them.

They procrastinate.

The hypnotists among you will know this isn't always a big deal. Often I've procrastinated on something because my unconscious mind was telling me I wasn't ready yet. In fact, I'm procrastinating on a project like that right now.

Having said that, the hypnotists among you also know sometimes your unconscious mind "protects" you from failure by never letting you try.

I leave it to you to decide whether you're procrastinating for the right reasons or the wrong ones.

If it's the wrong ones, and you want to get down to work, then here's what's worked for me...

But before I get into that, why should you care what works for me?

Because I'm a natural procrastinator, easily distracted by shiny new ideas. It used to be so bad I could never do much I wasn't forced to. It's a lot better now, though that spectre isn't off my back. I still find myself goofing off, even when I have a deadline.

Even so, I've learned to sit down and churn out a lot of great content.

I'm not a naturally productive person, if there even is such a thing. I train my mind to create by facing the causes of procrastination head on:

Clarity
One of the causes of "good" procrastination can be one of the more frustrating:

A lack of clarity.

This is a strange thing. Often our ideas seem so clear to us. When you close your eyes, you can see it. Then, when you go to create it, you realise what you have in mind is just a phantom. What you had in mind was closer to a felt sense than a blueprint.

If you're procrastinating, this might be why. Your unconscious doesn't have a firm grasp of what you need to do yet, so it doesn't motivate you into taking action.

Even if it wanted to, it couldn't.

Solution: map out what you want to create. Explain it aloud to someone or at least yourself. You'll quickly notice any areas that need fleshing out.

Priority
Let's say you're now clear on what you need to do.

When you have a lot to do, it can be hard to know where to start.

You start thinking about designing your website... but maybe you should write the sales letter first so you know what it'll look like... hang on, have you done enough market research yet?

After clarity comes priority - you know what the end result will look like, but that doesn't mean you know how to get there.

When you have a hundred tasks that all need doing, where do you start? You could pick on at random... only to have your mind constantly interrupt.

"What about X?"

"Don't forget to do Y before you publish!"

With a head that noisy, no wonder you don't get much done.

Solution: you don't want to ignore these interruptions - they tell you vital things. Write them down. Make a note of what needs doing before what, and what has a deadline. Sort your tasks by priority and work your way through them.

Overwhelm
You're clear on what needs doing and when. But when you look at your list of tasks, you get this sinking feeling inside you.

It's common to procrastinate when there's just so much to do.

You might find the big picture overwhelming, thinking ahead to all that you need to accomplish.

Or you might look at today's list of tasks and think there's no way to get through them all.

If failure is inevitable, why fight it?

I won't indulge a broken premise. You haven't failed until you've quit.

Maybe your list of tasks needs tweaking. Or maybe you really do have to get through all this. Either way, you'll be surprised what you can accomplish once you get typing.

Solution: the best approach I've ever come across is the Pomodoro technique. Set a timer and work without distractions for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, take a quick break. Stretch your legs, have a cup of tea. Then get back into it.

That's not all there is to teach you about your victory over procrastination. There are other causes of it, so there are other techniques for resolving it.

And there's more to learning to write like a demon than even all that.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10276210

The hard truth about making your dreams come true

 

Never Quit, Persistence Is The Way

Persistence attracts opportunity, with those three words, I begin this article. Sure, when you are exasperated, early quitting always sounds good, especially when it all gets "bloody" or hard. When you are tired, some of the greatest successes come after the next wind. I will not say "second wind", because it sometimes takes multiple streams of persistence to succeed, and not any streams of persistence, and just one try without trying again to genuinely fail.

The greatest quitter in the world is never known, because all quitters quit before they succeed or "make it". Rest assured, though, the greatest successes in the world are the ultimate seeming "failures in the beginning". From Gautama Buddha who spent seventy years "going crazy" trying to figure it all out from suffering in the world itself to the "biggest why things in the world" under the Bodhi Tree, to Jesus Christ who "ended" his ministry with assassination by Crucifixion, only to come back in an even better form ultimately, and have one of the greatest mass ministries on Earth bigger than anything else going on Earth. So, what is the greatest persistence in the world? It is one of us if we do not genuinely quit too early.

The only thing that separated Alexander Graham Bell and the rest of the inventors of the telephone, was this, persistence and a simple turn of a screw connecting a wire, also an understanding of vibration and consistency that matched nothing else going. Alexander Graham Bell understood vibration and consistency (knowing it would take a constant and not intermittent current to transmit speech over electrical wires), although it seemed simple, that turn of the screw was the difference between intermittent inconsistency and consistently and productively working, and what stemmed form all of this to full fruition?: Oh, just cell phones, every communication medium on the planet including radio and wireless gadgets like that we use every day. Even though Lewis Latimer really invented, drew and patented the light bulb, and not Edison technically, I genuinely give credit where credit is due and warranted, whatever the realistic consequences. This is what separates Christianity from the other religions in a sense when Jesus Christ said the simply logical statement: "Render unto Caesar what is the property of Caesar, and render unto God genuinely what is the property of God." in the New Testament Biblical Books of Matthew and Mark.

My point and synopsis is as follows, then I will end this article: To live in reality whatever the consequences is success. To follow through with a genuine path is success in every way. That is the synopsis. Success is guts, persistence and genuinely good work and little else. That is the point, take what you need from that, and make it work for you. Thank you for reading.

My name is Joshua Clayton, I am a freelance writer based in Inglewood, California. I also write under a few pen-names and aliases, but Joshua Clayton is my real name, and I write by that for the most part now. I am a philosophical writer and objective thinker and honest action taker. I also work at a senior center in Gardena, California as my day job, among other things, but primarily I am a writer.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joshua_Clayton/177409

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10216186