With the New Year rapidly approaching, your thoughts will be turning to your New Years Resolutions. It's the time of year when you set your sights on the next year and decide what you want to achieve.
Are you planning on stopping smoking? Getting fitter? Losing a bit of weight or getting a new job?
These are a few of the perennial favourite New Years resolutions, though obviously, there are a lot more possible New Years resolutions.
When setting a New Years resolution, most people don't really spend a lot of time thinking about what they really want to achieve. You've probably heard people say something like, "I ought to stop smoking this year" or "I really should lose a bit of weight".
If you set resolutions like that, then you are setting yourself up for failure. You don't really want to achieve them, you just feel guilty and that you should do them bfor whatever reason.
The trouble is, unless you have some motivation and desire to achieve your resolutions, then you are not going to achieve them. It is absolutely vital that you pick New Years resolutions that you really want to achieve and then follow through on them with action.
When many people set their New Years resolutions they almost expect something magical to happen on January 1st and the resolutions to happen without any effort at all. The trouble is, this doesn't happen. You have to take some sort of action to make your resolutions happen.
Before the New Year happens, sit and think about your New Years Resolutions. What do you want to achieve next year? When you know this, then you can spend some time working out an action plan to make sure you can achieve it. If you want to stop smoking, get some help whether this is a stop smoking CD or a visit to a clinical hypnotist or even nicotine patches. If you wnat to lose weight, sign up for an exercise class, get some hypnosis programs to help or start a diet.
Without action you will fail at your New Years resolution. You deserve to succeed at them! So let's summarise with a quick checklist:
1) Decide upon your New Years resolutions
2) Create an action plan to achieve them
3) Take regular and consistent action to achieving your resolutions
Through this simple plan you will achieve your New Years resolutions so much easier.***
Source: Ezine Articles
Image Credit: www.mentalhelp.net
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The Secret Of Successful New Year's Resolutions
Don't Let the Holidays Derail Your Diet!
by GAIL M. DAVIS
Fall is upon us and it is that challenging season when our diets take the biggest hit! Between football games, Thanksgiving, office parties, Christmas Eve, Christmas day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, family gatherings, and New Year celebrations, the scale could show a whopping 10-15 pound gain!
Just because this is what usually happens, it is not what has to happen! There are several things that you can do to ensure that you do not end up with unwanted pounds when January 2nd, rolls around!
Most people believe that they have two choices when it comes to celebrating the holidays. One option is total deprivation. These people avoid all celebrations, or at the very least avoid the holiday food table. They feel sorry for themselves at office parties and get annoyed when their colleagues bring in holiday goodies to share.
The other option is the “blow out.” These people completely give up on their healthy eating for the month-long holiday season. They eat as though they will never again get the opportunity to enjoy such amazing food!
I would like to propose a third option and that is an obvious compromise. If you’ve been working hard to lose weight leading up to the holiday season, there’s no reason to go to extremes. You can still enjoy the festivities, and yes, the food and drink, without destroying all of your hard work! Make weight maintenance your holiday goal and take the necessary steps to achieve that success.
First of all, careful planning is imperative! Get a calendar for November and December and record all your special events. Each morning, review your calendar and mentally plan for the day. Nothing is as effective for weight loss as careful planning! Do not prepare for special events involving food by skipping meals. Instead, eat small, healthy meals prior to the event to keep your metabolism strong and your appetite in check. At the event, eat what you want but only small amounts! Eat slowly and savor each bite. Enjoy those special holiday foods that aren’t normally available.
Be careful when drinking. Alcohol will weaken your resolve and make it easier for you to make the wrong choices. Drink a glass of water between each drink, and consider cutting your drinks with club soda.
Amp up your workouts during the fall season! Add extra days of cardio to your weekly regime. Look for those special ways that you can burn more calories. Even standing burns more calories than sitting, so take advantage of your calorie-burning opportunities!
Finally, remind yourself often that the holidays are about friends and family. Enjoy your holidays without guilt, but make your holidays about your loved ones instead of about food. If you follow these simple steps, you can start the New Year as a happier, healthier you!
About the author:
Gail M. Davis is currently the webmaster of Easy Weight Loss Tips. She offers more quick weight loss tips on her website. Enjoy food and exercise logs, motivational inspiration, and healthy recipes by visiting her site today!
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How Do You Want Your Holidays to Be?
This is the season of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. Are you hoping for a peaceful month, a realistic budget, time to get everything done, good health, warm relationships, and a joyous holiday season? Or perhaps you have you own word or combination of words to describe what you want this month to be like.
How you approach this last month of the year will depend on your attitude. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, attitude is a way of acting, feeling, or thinking that indicates your opinion about something. Your attitude is like a mirror. It reflects what you choose to focus on.
Negatives do happen in life. However, it is well known that when you focus on negatives, it is harder to:
- Feel confident.
- Pursue goals.
- Be happy.
- Solve problems.
- Socialize and enjoy relationships.
The good news is that it is possible to recognize when negatives are happening in your life without letting yourself dwell on them. In order to do this, you have to first be aware that you are stewing about something. Once you are aware that you are getting stuck with negative thoughts, you have the opportunity to change what you are thinking to more positive thoughts such as things you are grateful for.
Positive Psychology research suggests that when you experience genuine positive emotions in a 3 to 1 ratio with negative emotions, you cross a psychological tipping point. This means at the point of three positive emotions for every negative emotion, you will function at your best. You will feel more confident and happier, pursue your goals, solve problems, and enjoy your relationships.
Keeping a positive frame of mind during stressful times is certainly something to strive for. During this holiday season, it is possible to be hopeful and more resilient by increasing your ability to overcome adversity and dealing with challenges confidently by:
- Knowing what you care about and value - what is important to you.
- Discovering ways to reduce the demands on your time and money so that you feel in control of these resources.
- Choosing to go to only a couple of stores, shop online, look for things that are "good enough" instead of running around trying to find the best.
- Talking with family members about how to simplify giving gifts and entertaining.
- Breaking more complex tasks into smaller parts that can be done one at a time.
- Being able to say "No" to requests that will drain you.
It is important to remember that you do have a choice in how you respond to events going on around you. Even though you cannot control outside circumstance, you can choose to have a curious and creative attitude as you approach the holidays. Choose to:
- Do the things that are meaningful and energize you rather than drain you.
- Choose to have at least three positive thoughts for every negative thought.
No matter what your circumstances are, let this be a time of hope and resilience that will take you into the months ahead.***
Source: PattenCoaching.Com
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3 Simple Motivation Tips for Your Goal Setting Activities
Goal setting is a proven and powerful tool that most successful people are using to achieve what they want in their life. Although that it is a proven tool, but still there are many people fail to achieve their goals. Why is this so? One of the most common reasons is because most people thought that goal setting is a magic wand, all they need to do is just to write down their goals, and everything will come true.
You know it very well that goal setting is not a magic wand. If you are not doing anything, nothing is going to happen. The most important part of goal setting is what you do after you have set your goals. It is what you do after that that will lead you to your goals. And most people are lack of action. The number one reason for the lack of action is the lack of motivation.
The moment you are excited and you feel motivated, you will take a lot of action. And below are the 3 simple motivation tips for your goal setting activities…
1. Affirm your goals by telling yourself that you can achieve them. Imagine that every morning once you woke up, you look at the mirror and you tell yourself, “I can do it”. Do you think this will help to drive you? Of course it will. Affirming your goal is one of the best motivation tips that you can do easily and quickly.
2. Visualize the achievement of your goals each night before you sleep. By doing so, you will sink the vision or your goals into your subconscious mind. You are telling your subconscious mind that you have objectives to achieve in life and it will automatically help you to find ways to achieve them.
3. Another motivation tips for your goal setting activities that you can take instantly is by reminding yourself of your goals. You can do this by writing down your goals and paste the paper somewhere you can see often. The moment you see your goals, you are reminding yourself about your goals and you will feel driven to achieve them.
These are the 3 simple motivation tips that you can take for your goal setting activities. Remember, it is the motivation that makes you to take more action and it is the action that leads you toward your goals.***
Source: Goal Setting Activities
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Write Down Your Goals On Paper!
Having a goal sitting in your head may not help that much. Every book says that you need to write down your goals. First thinking about the goal is a good way to start but again, you need to write it down as soon as you think about it.
What is it that you want to accomplish?
Think about this in your mind and come up with the exact goal that you want to get. For example, let's look at a person who wants to earn 00 in the next 30 days online. Here is what he or she needs to do.
first step is to write down the goal of earning 00 in the next 30 days. So that's done. Good.
Next what you will want to do is to write how you are going to achieve this goal. You should figure out by now that you will want to find someone who has already done this before. Having a burning desire will also help you get to your goal.
Write down why you want to achieve this goal. For some, it is just having that extra income to help them pay for a car payment. For others, it may be that they want to save money. What ever your goals are, write down why you want to achieve them.
Another point to consider is to have complete faith in yourself and your desired goals. You need to have faith because if you don't, you may not achieve your goals at all. You may have written them down, but it means nothing if you kick out your belief of achieving this goal from your "belief" system that is sitting there somewhere in your head. You need to have faith that you can reach any goal that you set.
After you achieve a particular goal, don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back. Give yourself some sort of a reward. Once you achieve your first goal, you can accomplish any of your future goals in life. It should give you some sort of motivation to write more and more goals down.
Now, what would happen if you don't reach your goal? This can happen to anyone who sets goals. The best thing that you will need to do is to learn from this situation and think what you can do next time to achieve that goal.
If you fail once, try again. If you fail the second time, then try again until you reach your desired goal. But don't take the same action. Learn what you did wrong in the first trial and try something different.
Ten Ways to Start Taking Control
At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward.
Practicing positive thinking allows people with ADD to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns:
1. Take Good Care of Yourself
It's much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.
2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
Stresses and challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.
3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.
4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Have you ever told a partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call me!"? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.
5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don't follow it.
6. Squash the "ANTs"
In his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr. Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs" - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!" When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!
7. Practice Lovin', Touchin' & Squeezin' (Your Friends and Family)
You don't have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn't touch!
8. Increase Your Social Activity
By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!
9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person
Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.
10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination
If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It's never productive, because it's not rational or solution-oriented, it's just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment - go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music.
When it comes to the corporate world, protocol is pretty much the religion. To know the things needed to do are the basics of productivity, but interaction and having a steady mind makes up the entire thing to true productivity. There are those who seem to work well even under pressure, but they're uncommon ones and we are human and imperfect. To get these little things like stress under our skins won't solve our problems. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage to admit that we're turning to be workaholics than tell ourselves that we're not doing our best.
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Impossible is Just a Word
Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn't fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn't dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?
Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.
This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.
But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.
The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can't do this. It's too hard. It's too impossible. No one can do this.
However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.
Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble, bee no one has told it so. So fly it does.
On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.
If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.
Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’. Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ And under one more, list the things that that are ‘impossible for you to do.’
Now look at all the headers strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you are able to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’
As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’
As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.
You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic.
Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.
On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.
Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.
Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.
So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.
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Live Your Own Life
Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make
Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.
Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?
There are no guarantees.
You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.
Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.
Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.
Take the risk: decide.
Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid.
Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
1. Get as many information as you can about your situation.
You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.
2. Identify and create options.
What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.
3. Weigh the pros and cons of every option.
Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.
4. Trust yourself and make that decision.
Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.
Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.***
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Life Mapping: A Vision of Success
Success is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.
Origin: Who you are
A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior highschool student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.
Destination: A vision of who you want to be
“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.
Vehicle: Your Mission
A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.
Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude
Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.
Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives
Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.
Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes
The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly. ***
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How Enthusiasm Can Help You Reach Your Goals
If enthusiasm can be bought as an item from a store, do you think it will sell? And if it does, just how much are you willing to pay for it?
I believe your response will be: "You must be kidding. It'll be a sellout. The store might probably run out of stock, you'll have to wait in queue for a long time before you can get your order no matter the price."
Just how important is enthusiasm in goal realization; in one's life? It is so important that it occupies one of the top slots in the list of elements needed for successful living. It is so important that it is one of the deciding factors to realize one's goal.
There is no doubt that everyone likes talking to enthusiastic people, unless a person likes to be in a gloomy state, which I doubt that person does. Enthusiastic people keep the conversation alive and upbeat. You feel like you are partying. And when you feel like partying, you'd wish the night will never end.
Enthusiasm brings out the hyper character in us. It is like adding more wood to a bonfire making you feel like you want to roast marshmallows in it. Honestly, as I am writing this, I'm beginning to be more enthusiastic myself.
The point is, enthusiasm is contagious like a disease. This is one contagious disease that has a desirable effect. Matter of fact, enthusiasm is the only disease everybody wants to contract. If there is a category in the Guinness Book of World Records of being the contagious disease most people would like to have with them, it is enthusiasm. Law enforcers would probably ban quarantine of this disease.
Now, just how do you get enthusiastic especially when your surroundings, the weather condition, and the general situation feels down and out?
Here are some helpful tips to develop enthusiasm:
- Adopt the "as if" principle. It is believed that this was first stated by Professor William James, at times known as the father of American Psychological Science. This is an effective time and people tested principle.
I would suggest at this point that you try to apply the "as if" principle with someone near or beside you to confirm its effectiveness. Think creatively.
Another similar principle is the "what if". If you are in the business of developing products of specialized use, you are most likely exposed to a lot of experimentation. When you come up with an idea on a product you'd like to try even if the idea seems unconventional, would you try it? Would you be saying to yourself: "What if I try to... "
- Adapt enthusiasm into the "practice makes perfect" principle. In other words, be enthusiastic on almost everything you do every day no matter how insignificant they are, no matter how small they are. All those small things when added up become big. This is the "as if" principle in small ways.
- As you wake up each morning, be enthusiastic about the things you are going to do that day. Bring enthusiasm to even the routinely morning chores like taking a shower, getting dressed, eating breakfast, taking the bus or driving your car (even in heavy traffic), in the office up to the time you reach home for dinner till you go to bed, enthusiastically looking forward to tomorrow.
- Remember that each day in your life is God's gift to you. Show your appreciation to Him for the gift you receive by being nice to other people, helping others and thanking Him through prayers.
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Article by Arina Nikitina
A Simple New Year’s Resolution: "Eat An Apple A Day"
The apple has been a celebrated fruit since the beginning of time. Long before the United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] announced the four major food groups with the appropriate servings in the USDA food pyramid, people throughout the world were able to recognize the healthy attributes of the apple. The popular 19th century quotation, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has been repeated numerous times throughout the world for decades.
OK, so what’s so great about apples anyway? And why is the apple such a revered fruit? Why should we eat one apple each day? Let us examine some of the many reasons. First, a little background information about the almighty apple.
As one of the most popular fruits in the world today, there are at least 7,500 different varieties of apples, from the Granny Smith to the Red Delicious. Apples vary in shape, color, texture, firmness, crispness, acidity, juiciness, sweetness, nutritional value and harvesting period. Whether you start with Adam and Eve or the anthropological data on Stone Age man in Europe, the apple was there. Archeologists even found a fossilized imprint of an apple seed from the Neolithic period in England. Greek and Roman mythology refer to apples as symbols of love and beauty. According to legend, the only time Johnny Appleseed got sick was at his deathbed at the age of 80. William Tell gained fame by shooting an apple off his son’s head at the order of invaders of Switzerland.
Yes, the apple indeed carries great historical value, and high nutritional value as well. If apples were packaged with a nutrition label, you would know that a medium sized apple is only 80 calories, has zero fat, zero cholesterol and zero sodium. Apples deliver vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, as well as boron and calcium that are crucial to maintaining strong bones and preventing osteoporosis.
Today, medical practitioners recognize the apple’s abundant quantity of fiber. Most Americans only consume about 12 grams of fiber each day. However, in order to maintain proper digestive and bowel function, 25 grams of fiber daily is recommended. Fiber cleanses our internal organs and arteries like a street cleaner rids our streets of trash and debris. Fiber aids in the digestion of fat, reduces high cholesterol and regulates blood sugar. Apples are a wonder food for people with coronary artery disease, as well as diabetics because fiber can slow glucose absorption.
Drinking eight glasses of water a day is also a way that we can clean our insides…sort of like an internal shower. Fruit, such as the apple, is high in water content. Fruit and water help jump start weight loss and cleanse toxic cells back to health. An apple a day with eight glasses of water can boost your metabolism, strengthen your immune system, lower your risk of illness and promote better overall health. Yet, more good reasons to eat apples.
Eating an apple along with drinking water is a very simple resolution to drive your personal health goals for the New Year. By the end of the year, you will find yourself asking, “which variety of apple should I eat?” as opposed to “why should we eat one apple each day?”
For a variety of reasons, eat an apple a day.
Until next time, be well.
Ask Yourself To Change Your Life
To change your life, you need to ask yourself several questions. And the answers will be your first step to changing your life into the life you've always wanted.
What do I really want?
Most think they know what they want, but if they really did, wouldn't they have it? What is it you really want?
Once you ask yourself this, then ask yourself why you want it. Knowing why you want to something is as important as knowing what you want.
This is your first step to getting the life you want.
Don't be afraid to dream big. Think really hard, and then write down these things you want. Don't edit yourself.
What do I need to do to change?
Some of us may have huge obstacles we need to overcome. In fact, your obstacles may be so high that you have to overcome your obstacles before you can start working on your goals.
This can be anything from losing someone we love (grief), or having something happen to us we need to let go of.
It's up to you to decide how you will do this. Maybe you need counseling, or you just need to talk to someone about issues you have in your life.
Do you need to seek counseling? Do you have something in your life you need to let go of so that you can be happy?
Do whatever it is you need to do to clear up any issues you may have in your life.
What really motivates me?
If your dream is to have a lot of money, then ask yourself why. There is certainly nothing wrong with having a lot of money.
As a proponent of the book, "The Science of Getting Rich", I believe that we can do more and help others more if we have money.
My point is really this: everything you want must have a real purpose.
If you want more money, or anything else, because, for example, you were picked on as a kid, or you had a tough life growing up, having more money won't make your life better.
What motivates you must have a purpose. A good purpose. If you want to use the money to help other disadvantaged kids, or even your family, then this is a good purpose.
Am I willing to do what it takes to succeed? Are you willing to invest the time and effort into what you want?
Having a dream isn't enough. You have to be willing to take the steps necessary to get ahead. Sometimes this involves sacrifice.
However, a little sacrifice is worth it if you get what you really want in life and stop settling for what you have.
What steps do I need to take?
Once you've made a decision on what you want, what will you do to get it?
Outline your steps. Maybe there are a few things you don't know. Maybe there are a few things you will have to learn.
Once you know what you want, then you need to take those steps.
So, let's changes and have a wonderful new year...
Tips To Carry Out Our New Year's Resolutions
It’s that time of year again. Time to think about making New Year’s
resolutions. How did you do last year? If you kept them, congratulations, for you are now a better person because of them. When asked about their resolutions, many people reply, “This year, I’m making only one resolution, and that is NOT to make any resolutions.” It’s a cute reply, but a regrettable one because the implication is they have no plans to improve.
Why have they given up on making New Year’s resolutions? Because they became discouraged by their past failures. Why did they fail? Because they never made resolutions in the first place. What they made were wishes. Oh, they may have stated it as a resolution; for example, Bob may have said, “This year I plan on losing ten pounds.” But his heart was saying, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I lost ten pounds? I hope I do.” That’s not a plan; that’s a fanciful dream. No wonder Bob failed. And when their resolutions come tumbling down, all they’re left with are broken promises and shattered dreams.
There is only one way to make a resolution and that is to make a commitment. A commitment is a passionate plan. That is, you are passionate about achieving a particular goal and you have a plan on how to go about doing so. Compare Bob to Charlie. Charlie clenched his teeth, pounded the table with his tightened fist, and exclaimed, “I’m sick of being overweight. I’m going to do something about it. I’m going to make a plan to lose ten pounds by next summer!” Charlie is passionate. He’s committed. And he’s working on a plan.
He develops his plan by asking himself a series of questions and reflecting on the answers. Questions like, “What are the advantages of losing weight? What are the disadvantages? How much weight can I reasonably be expected to lose? What resources do I have to help me reach my goal? Who and where can I turn to for advice? What obstacles am I likely to meet and how can I overcome them? What steps do I have to take and on what dates will I accomplish each step?”
After completing the above process, Charlie feels good. He has a sense of direction. He realizes that next year life will no longer be something that merely happens to him. Rather, he is going to make things happen. He is in control. He instinctively understands that when we keep the promises we make to ourselves, we become promising.
What about those who say, “More power to Charlie, but I’m not like him. I can’t make resolutions and keep them.” Sorry, that’s not true. You see, they ARE making resolutions and KEEPING them. The only problem is their resolutions are negative, for example, “I CAN’T lose weight. I CAN’T quit smoking. I CAN’T wake up on time.” The list goes on and on. They are amazingly successful at keeping their resolutions.
Unfortunately, their negative resolutions bog them down, limit their capabilities, stunt their growth, and diminish their happiness.
Since we all make and keep resolutions, the questions we want to ask ourselves are “What resolutions do we want to make? Will I resolve to become MORE than what I am today or will I resolve to become LESS than I am capable of becoming?” The choice is ours. If we’re now in a mess, why despair when we can repair? We should be looking forward to the New Year. It is the perfect time to initiate changes in our lives. And here are some tips to help us carry out our resolutions.
1. If we make a resolution, we are resolving to do something we are not yet doing. Why aren’t we doing it? There must be reasons. It may be difficult to do, involve some efforts we have to make, or sacrifices we have to carry out. So, expect resistance. Prepare for it. Accept the short-term pain for the long-term gain. After sticking to our resolution for a month or two, it will become a habit and much easier to carry out. So, it will no longer be a matter of working harder, but of developing good habits which will propel you forward. Keep your eyes on the goal and anticipate the success that is yours.
2. Don’t become unrealistically ambitious. True, it may be great to improve your golf game, lose weight, hang out more with your friends, take a computer course to improve your productivity, learn ballroom dancing, make a rec room in the basement, and design a flower garden for your backyard. But wait a minute! Do you have the time? Don’t engage in wishful thinking. Instead schedule each activity so you know
exactly how much time is available. And don’t forget to include extra time for emergencies.
3. Here is a powerful technique. At the same time you make your New Year’s resolutions, change your routine. For instance, take a different route to work, have lunch at another place, open the door to your office with your left instead of your right hand, and so on. Why do so? Because each time you act out of character, you are forcing yourself to remember that you are living in a new way. It is easy to change your routine, and the changes will act as powerful cues, reminding you that
you have resolutions to follow.
4. Make your goals as specific as possible. Don’t say, “I’m going to lose some weight” but say “I'm going to lose 10 lb. by May 30, by drinking more water, cutting out junk food, eating balanced meals, and exercising.”
5. Monitor your progress weekly. What are you doing right? Keep doing t! What are you doing wrong? What is the cause of the problem? How can you correct it? Also, set milestones. For example, if you’re going to lose 10 lb. by the end of May, that works out to 2 lb. per month. Confirm you standing every month. By keeping a watchful eye on your progress, you’ll be able to make corrections as you go along.
6. Do it for yourself. Don’t be pressured into anything. Remember, to succeed, your plan must be a passionate one. How can you be passionate about something you don’t want to do? Decide on what you WANT from life and focus on those goals. Granted, there may be things you should be doing, but don’t want to. That’s fine; it simply means you’re a human being. The good news is that as we accomplish goals we WANT, we develop self-discipline. In other words, you’ll have the strength to work on bigger goals later.
7. Because we cannot accomplish everything at once, we need patience, focus, and persistence. As we monitor our progress and see the progress we are making, no matter how small, it will be enough to motivate us to continue. If you come across bumps in the road, don’t be discouraged.
Just pick yourself up and continue. How can you develop your skills if it’s smooth sailing all the way? You need to experience a few storms before you can become the Captain of your ship.
May your resolutions lead to a life of grandeur. Here’s to the bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old; here’s to the things that are yet to come and the memories that we hold. Happy New Year!
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© Chuck Gallozzi
The Power of Inspiration
INSPIRATION can be a powerful thing. It can keep you going when all around you cries out “quit!” It is even more powerful than motivation, as motivation gives you your basic reasons to keep going--it tells you why you want to do what you do, because motivation is based on goals. These, in turn, may be based on necessity want or desire. But inspiration fills those reasons with hope, possibil- ity and enjoyment and keeps the “grind” from becoming too grindy.
But just what does inspiration consist of? I posit two elements: vision and mission. Proverbs 29:18 says ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.” A vision is the first step toward turning your motivation into inspiration. A person with a vision sees down the road. He can sense what it will be like six weeks, six months, a year, two years, five years and more ahead.
But how do you get a vision?, you ask. First of all, you need to narrow your perspective. You can’t attempt to “ride off in all directions at once,” so to speak. Try to decide what it is you are looking for, so you’ll know it when you see it. In other words, try to have in mind some general goals as to where you want to be six months a year, etc. from now. These goals will not only form the basis of your motivation but should also serve to limit to an extent the scope of your activity.
Next, try to locate and choose an opportunity (business, career or job) which you feel is right for you. This may be easier said then done, as there are many choices which sound good. You may come upon an outstanding one right away, purely by chance. If so, latch onto it. But you will probably have to pick several at first and study the things which each one offers and try to evaluate the potential of each one as you see it. Settle on the one which you feel has the most potential with the least amount of hassle (preferably one that is totally Internet driven as opposed to one where you have to spend time calling potential prospects by phone).
Once you have chosen your company, stand behind it in every way and don’t quit or change your mind. B.C. Forbes said “Without loyalty, nothing can be accomplished in any sphere...” Think of yourself as being in it for the long haul, no matter what. And try to envision, based on what you know, how things will be down the road. Keep that picture before your mind, and never doubt. Napoleon Hill said “What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”
Once the vision is firmly implanted in your mind, let it become your driving force. Let the vision excite you with the possibility of its fulfillment and you will automatically begin the next step--you are on a mission. Your mission is to bring about the realization of the vision. If you keep the vision in mind, you will move forward in the mission, accomplishing enthusiastically step by step that which is necessary to bring the vision into reality. You will have developed a sense of excite- ment, importance and urgency which will keep the fires of inspiration burning in your heart and moving you ever onward and upward.
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Source: ezinearticles.com
Setting Your Goals
The Basics of Goal Setting
The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all the different fields. The basics of setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. They help you set focus on the acquisition of required knowledge and help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life.
Setting clearly defined short term and long term goals will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals. Charting your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals.
The basics of goal settings will involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals.
A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards you life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.
Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them.
Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. You must ask yourself if any part of you or your mind holding you back towards completing your simplest goals? If there are any part of your behavior that is being a hindrance or puts your plans into disarray? If you do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address this problem. Solutions may include a visit to a doctor or psychiatrist to control your emotions.
Careers are made by good time management practice. Failing in a career is often attributed to bad time management. Careers require a lot from an individual which often makes the career the life of the individual. Plan how far do you want to go into your career.
Education is key in achieving your goals. If your goals require you to have a certain kind of degree or require a certain specialization or demand a certain skill to be developed, make plans in getting the appropriate education.
Your family should never be left out of your plans. If you are just starting out then you have to decide if you want to be a parent or when you want to be a parent. You also have to know if you really would be a good parent and how well would you relate to extended family members
Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn. You also must be able to create plans or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential.
Physically gifted individuals may be able to achieve sports related goals like being in the National Basketball association or National Football League. Determining your physical capabilities should be one of your priorities. Physical limitations could however be conquered with proper planning.
As the saying goes -'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy', or something to that effect, is by all means true down to the last the letter. Giving yourself a little pleasure: should be included into your plans.
To start achieving your lifetime goals, set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily.
Then create a things-to-do list for the day.
Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies.
The basics of goal settings should not be so difficult once you get to be familiar with them.