How we view ourselves has a great impact on how we move through this world, how others view us, and the decisions we make in our lives. Having a positive self image is one of the most valuable gifts we can give ourselves and those around us. Our self image or self esteem as it could be called, is our source of power and here are 10 ways that will aid in improving your self image. Positive Thinking - Filling the mind with positive thinking will reflect in your life. By thinking positive we create positive. When our thoughts are focused on the good, that which is right, the creative, the passion that we feel, we can easily make those thoughts our reality. Positive Self Talk - For many of us there is a dialogue running through our minds most of the time and for most of us we can be our own worst enemies. Changing our inner dialogues to positive self talk can quickly and easily improve our self image. Telling ourselves that we are beautiful, creative, talented, intelligent, and worthy will aid in the process of becoming those wonderful positive aspects that reside within each of us. Positive Speech - What comes out of our mouths is a direct reflection of what is going on in our minds and it is how people get to know us and see us. By speaking positively and sharing that with others you are not only sharing your positive self image with others you are also helping others to focus on the positive within them as well. Do What You Love - Create the job, hobby, and life of your dreams. By doing what you love you express who you are. When you do what you love, you love and respect yourself more. Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices - By making healthy choices in food and exercise, you feel good about yourself and you have the nourishment to be the best you that you can be. Surround Yourself with Positive People - Positive people will help you increase your positive thinking, your positive speech, your positive self talk and your positive self image. You can use these individuals as a mirror of who you are, who you want to be, and who you are becoming. Seek Out Positive Situations - Finding the best possible situations that will lead you to your ultimate goals will allow you to continue increasing your self image. When you are on the right path for you, you know it and you feel good about yourself. Embrace Creativity - Create something; a project, a drawing, a garden, an article, anything you can image or dream up. Self expression through creativity allows you to release and express a part of your deeper self, increasing self awareness and in turn increasing self-image. Focus On That Which Makes You Uniquely You - Whether it be wearing a flower in your hair, reading books for hours on end, dancing to your favorite song as you make dinner, do it! Have fun with it and enjoy every moment of it! Stand Behind Yourself 100% - Be who you are without apologies. If you make a decision that you firmly believe is right and good and makes you feel good about who you are, stick with it, own it, it is yours, part of what makes you the special person that you are. About Amanda Duncan: Amanda Duncan believes that a great way to achieve weight loss results and to improve health in general is to start The Day Off Diet

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The world we live in today is full of pressure along with a work load in which men and women infrequently find time for themselves and their families when they start earning. Professional life is very different from the lifestyle that individuals lead when they’re children and still finishing their schooling. It’s also true that not everyone is blessed with opportunities and abilities to do whatever they enjoy and believe in.  You will find many mantras of living a productive and stress free life. One of the most essential of those is the effect of positive thinking. Just about everything an individual does calls for a lot of commitment and work on the part of the person. At times the situations may not be positive and as a result there’s often the need to remain focused and positive to achieve the wanted results. Positive thinking can totally transform the life of the person who is finding it hard to deal with daily pressure and the difficulties of life. Whenever you think positive, your body helps you in understanding the situation a lot more logically and making a lot more advantageous choices than you might have made otherwise. Right attitude is really a consequence of right thinking. People tend to think negatively in many of the situations that come up in their lives, which not only hurts them for the moment but in addition leads to their thinking being rigid. There are always differences of opinion between family members or partners. It is very important that individuals respect one anothers’ opinions and think about them prior to making any decision that might have an effect on the life of other individuals. The way in which individuals act and respond in particular situations is a result of their thinking and perceiving capabilities, which isn’t created in a couple of days but over a lengthy time period. Therefore it is vital that lots of time and thought should be given before coming to any decision that could have an effect on your life. Positive thinking not only has great influences on the choices you make but additionally on your health. Your health is a consequence of how positive you happen to be in your approach towards life and exactly how you handle difficulties and issues in your life. Men and women are generally good at coping with favorable results but it’s a lot more critical to understand the skill of dealing with problems and losses in life. This is the real test of any human being which teaches and readies you for the future. Outstanding leaders and well known people have often emphasized the value of right attitude. Achievement in any field of life, no matter whether individual or professional, will depend a great deal on your capacity to make intelligent choices that are backed up by positive thinking in challenging situations. So, go forward and think positively and before long you’ll be amazed with the results you accomplish in your own life. The Magic Of Positive Thinking The world we live in today is full of stress and a work load where people seldom get time for themselves and their families once they start earning. Creative Visualization Techniques And How They Are Used The power of the mind is phenomenal. Centuries ago, ancient spiritual leaders knew what the world is beginning to realize now, that everyone creates their own reality. Main Steps To Install Small Wood Burning Stoves Small wood burning stoves have been a very common heating methods for homes in cold climates for hundreds of years. How Payday Loans Can Help You Lack of liquid funds has always been a common problem even among individuals with stable jobs. These days, however, being cash strapped is easily solved through quick cash advances popularly known as payday loans. Are You Able To Attain Results With Human Growth Hormone Weight Loss? You may have heard about the possibility of human growth hormone weight loss but have your doubts it can work for you. What exactly makes growth hormone products weight loss possible? Business As Well As Personal Blogs Are Extremely Useful To Online Marketing And Why The Empower Network Is Required. If you’re going to be serious about your online marketing then you need to understand blogs. Both business and personal blogs are crucial and why networks like the empower network have been created.

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The theme of this Sagittarius moon cycle got me thinking– what does it mean to be really positive? Not just superficially cheerful, but to be the kind of person who really makes a difference, who has that positive radiance? I have heard it said that we should always “look on the bright side”, but it seems to me, if you take this idea literally, sometimes, looking on the bright side can be invalidating. It can be dishonest. I find it noteworthy that Jesus didn’t always “look on the bright side”. In fact He wasn’t known for having a cheerful smile on at all times. Instead, He was earnest and real. He didn’t slap on a smile and say “well, God never closes a window without opening a door!” (Ugh!) No, He knew how to suffer. He knew how to express His suffering, how to let it out. To weep, to mourn, even to complain. And then, having healthfully expressed His true feelings, He rolled up His sleeves and did what He knew He should do. I see wisdom in that. Being Centered To me living a positive lifestyle means first, to find my own center of peace. That no matter what happens and what I see and how “rattled” I may get, I am okay. It’s going to be okay. But the only way that things are really okay, is if the scary feelings– the ugly feelings– ALL the feelings– are okay. It’s okay to FEEL anxious, angry, resentful, whiny, greedy, lazy, irritated, depressed, whatever. I accept ALL my feelings, examine them, feel them, and then I keep coming back to one true thing: I am okay. I am angry and I am okay. I am disappointed and I am okay. I am frightened and I am okay. Etc. I take my flower essences, and do whatever helps me feel in touch with the spirit of God and my own spirit. I don’t think that people can be really centered– really peaceful and happy– if they’re just pretending to be happy. You can’t skip the step where you examine your uncomfortable feelings. If you say, “Ishouldn’t feel angry, because that’s not fair or that’s not nice,” you have now judged yourself and given yourself a condition for acceptance. You have repressed your angry feelings– because they’re still unresolved. Never judge your feelings. Feelings are not right or wrong, they just are. They are a learning tool because they give us a clue to our beliefs and thought processes. When we change our beliefs and thought processes, our feelings will change, too, naturally, and in a real, healthy way. In the meantime, we can accept our feelings without acting on them! You can FEEL angry without acting violent or mean, and if you accept and are aware of your anger, you are less likely to act passive-aggressive or explode or lose control. When you have loving awareness of your emotional state, you have control over your behavior. Being Aware Secondly, I was thinking that being positive means not hiding my head in the sand about other people’s issues. Not looking the other way. It means being active, in whatever way I can. Spreading information. Spreading joy. Addressing basic needs like food, shelter and clean water because when someone is hungry or freezing, information and joy don’t mean a thing. It means having the courage to go against social corms, to rock the boat, to stand up for what you know is right. It means taking sides when necessary. “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.”  ? Elie Wiesel Being Loving To me, being positive means LOVING, myself and other people. Loving myself first because when my own heart is full, I have something to give! Loving my kids is also a primary priority because my most important job right now is helping these whole and happy little human beings take their place in the world to do their part to make the world a better place, thereby helping even more people. If I help others and yet neglect my responsibilities at home, and my children grow up with emotional deficits, have I really helped the world, in net results? But soon enough my children will be grown and independent and a different season in my life will begin. For now I am needed the most at home. Still, there is much I can do to help. Living on the bus is handy for this, because when we drive by a homeless person we can easily pull over and give them food. I can’t do that when I’m taking a walk because I don’t have my kitchen with me! I think the key is to just do what you can where you can with the resources you have. Just to love, just to care, is so much. Have you ever thought about how radical it is, to love? To really care about other people? People who’s welfare has little or no bearing on your own? How unusual, to offer love unconditionally? Without expectation of gain? Loving people doesn’t mean you think everything they do is right. It doesn’t mean that you have judged them and found them “worthy”. It means you love them anyway and without need for judgement and that you don’t believe you are better than them. That’s the unconditional part. When you see a homeless man huddled on a dark step, you don’t think you’re better than him. You feel aware of your privilege, you feel compassion and empathy. You give him food because if you’re reading this, you can probably go get more food, but maybe he can’t. And it doesn’t matter why he’s there and it’s none of your business if he brought it upon himself, because everyone makes mistakes. You make mistakes. And when we are wrong is when we need to be loved the most. Not in a condescending way, but in a humble and understanding way. Boundaries Loving people doesn’t mean you don’t set firm boundaries when necessary. You can love and set boundaries– and indeed you should or it’s not real love. You can love even harmful, toxic people from afar– with no contact if that’s what it takes to protect yourself– by thinking of them in a forgiving and compassionate way, by being respectful and not insulting. By, again, not thinking that you are better or more worthy than them. When you are this considerate of all people, it shows how much love and confidence you have in yourself. And not thinking of yourself as better than them, means recognizing that you don’t really know what advantages/disadvantages they are dealing with. For instance, some people’s brains are wired for mental illnesses and unhealthy behaviors where others’ aren’t. This is no more their fault than someone who is born with a weak heart, or allergies, or ADD. Some people’s brains are wired to have the potential to become sociopaths, if they experience certain kinds of trauma as children. Other children could go through the same experience, and because they don’t have that kind of brain, they come out of the experience with some other coping mechanism, often, as still-compassionate people. People who have studied neurology and do brain scans (like Dr. Daniel Amen, for instance) have noted that criminals show an extremely high incidence of brain trauma injuries and brain disorders. Can you tell me without a doubt that if you hadn’t been born with that problem, or received an injury that damaged your brain in that way, that you wouldn’t be in that situation? In prison, or emotionally detached, or homeless on the street? Privilege Brain health is just one privilege that you may enjoy. Privilege is any advantage that makes your life easier, not due to your own actions. I am sure all of you enjoy several privileges of some kind, if you think about it. There are the big ones– white privilege, male privilege. But there are many kinds of privilege of all kinds– being tall, or naturally slender, or athletic, or attractive. It is well-supported that people who are taller and/or more attractive make more money and are more well-liked overall. There is the privilege of being healthy, or reasonably healthy. The privilege of being born with a high “IQ”. The privilege of being born particularly talented in some way. The privilege of having good parents, or if you don’t have good parents, even having any person who loved you and was there for you– because some people don’t have anyone. The privilege of having access to books and running water and the internet. And so when we recognize our various privileges, we see that it is not fair to ever consider ourselves better than anyone else, because we usually have little knowledge of what path someone else’s life has taken to lead them to where they are, or what we would have done in their shoes, and you probably have no real idea of how functional their brain is. The Root of Violence The point is to give people the benefit of the doubt, because it’s not our place to determine which humans are more or less valuable. We can determine which humans are more or less dangerous, and more or less in need of help, and deal with those issues on a practical level, but we can also do so with humanity and compassion. I believe that sizing people up and deciding who is better than whom, is the beginning ofviolence. The root of violence, is judging another human being’s worth, when that is never our job to do. Changing Our World To be truly positive, we must be realistic and aware. This way we can actually affect positive change in the world. Taking care of ourselves, spiritually, emotionally, and physically is important, but it is only the first step. The second step is to go out there and do good things. And do them again, and again. Optimism, positivity, and joy, are infectious. A smile can be contagious, too, but sometimes what someone needs is not a smile but validation. Someone to say: “yeah, that sucks. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” And not moralize, but just listen, or offer a shoulder to cry on. And sometimes what people need is food, shelter, clothing, just the basics. And to spread information, because information is freedom. A Note to the Weary and Depressed I would like to make one more comment. It is very hard to get out there and be active in helping, if your spirit or body feels sick. If you feel depressed or overwhelmed or overburdened, the last thing you need is somebody telling you what you should be doing and that you should be doing morethings. In the art of healing people with energy (therapeutic touch, Reiki, massage, etc.,) it is commonly recognized that sick people should recuperate and heal before giving healing energy. If you are depressed, chronically sick or just feeling overburdened, it may take more than a day, more than a week, more than a year to get to a place where you feel strong enough to help other people. And that’s okay! Healing takes time. When you feel well enough, I believe the wanting to reach out to others will come naturally. The key is to look at what, in your spirit and life, is making you ill; what is not supporting your wellness and strength and happiness. Then work at trying to transition to a life that is nurturing and sustaining. I recommend flower essences, of course, and also I love the book Feelings Buried Alive Never Die. Another good one is A Pace of Grace– except I don’t condone her nutrition advice, lol. Whatever you need to feel better, remember that “You, as much as anyone else in the world, deserve your love and affection.” –Buddha

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Positive Motivational Thoughts We always observe that  people living in the same place and environment possess very different perspective towards life; the same is true in case of their success rate as well. What actually holds people becoming successful? The answer is attitude. Now, if I ask you what is the difference between a successful man and an apparent unsuccessful man? Though many of us measure success in terms of mundane values, there are many to whom earthy things hold no value. Yet, for living a secured and abundant life, one need money and wealth. For earning we choose to do jobs, business, trading and many more professional works. Among all professions also you find competition-some professions are better than the others in monetary and social sense. Thus the concept of successful is not only labeled with each human but also the object human holds on to for living. You must have observed that there are many doing the same type of work or business, and only a few are making substantial amount of money out of their professional life. Take for example, there are thousands of online writers writing blogs or hubs, but how many of them are truly making enough out of their profession. Though, it is true many write only for hobby or just want to develop their writing skills. Yet, many writers joining hubpages and leaving within a few months finding no substantial income. At the same time, there is many making multiple of a thousand dollar by writer online for a single blogs only. The difference is nothing but the attitude of the writers. Like successful writer, there are successful organizations and countries making record progress and development both technically and economically. What is the secret of their success or do you really think that they possess kind of magic wand to bring instantaneous success. The secret of success lies in a person’s attitude. If you can gather a number of people with positive attitude in your organization, there is no reason your business won’t flourish. An organization full of negative minded people will never go ahead-this is a proven fact by William James, Harvard University. So the secret of changing your life lies in changing your attitude. The bottom line is a positive attitude contributes the most in changing the momentum of not a single person, but also an entire society, eventually the whole world. How attitude develops? As we grow mature we take many inputs from our surrounding environments that shape our attitude. Attitude is an invisible infrastructure for our future success. There are mainly three major factors which contribute the most developing attitude. They are: Your environments, where you borne and live Experience of life Education Among the three attitude parameters, environmental influence affects on developing positive attitude the most than any other parameters. Some of the environmental influence is: positive or negative influence of families, friends, and co-workers. The other important attitude shaping factors are: cultural, religions, social and political environments.  In this era of digital media both internet and TV plays crucial role molding a child’s attitude towards life. Dr. Alex Pattakos: The Meaning of Positive Thinking Benefits of having a positive attitude: Productivity increases Helpful to solve any problem Develop better and healthy working environments Reduce anxiety and stress of mind Help you flourish your personality and increase your desirability within society Increase profitability of an organization On the other hand, a negative mind only bring bitterness, ill mental health and higher stress level ,not only in one individual life but also into others’. Building a positive attitude: Most of the human does not love change in their life-they love to cocoon their life into a stipulated rules and obligations. Even if, being aware that a negative attitude drive life into a backward direction, people do not want change simply because they do not feel that change is comfortable for their mind- this is what actually your mind says not you. Don’t listen to your mind, listen to your logic. This first step for changing a negative attitude is to have a strong desire of having a positive attitude. Step 1 Always try to find the good part of any incident. Not necessarily every event of your life will bring you positive opportunity understood by conventional sense of your social belief system. Yet, everything in this world has a positive side-even if you lose something-try to find that out. Remember negative people only looking for negative aspects even in good situation of their life-this is because they have keen inclination for negative energy only, simply speaking they are negative energy puller. Negativity is the polarity of a negative mind- their job digging the darker side of life-they simply fail to see the brighter portion of life. These types of people are also known as pessimist. For getting rid of negative energy, your first job is to find the good part of any event and focus on only the positive side of life. Positive Mental Attitude Step 2 Make a habit of taking action now instead of tomorrow. Your mind always tries to trick you for comfort, always lurking you to stay in your comfort-zone of life. Mind does so by giving you the impression that you have enough time and by alerting about the negative consequence of a change. It is you who will be responsible for taking action, not your mind. You are not your mind. So, whatever plan you have today started it now! Step 3 Expressing gratitude draws positive energy and drive away negative thoughts-that’s why gratitude is so important in the way of changing your attitude. Try to find happiness in small things of your life. Instead of having a complaint attitude, convert yourself as a man of gratitude. Step 4 Develop a positive self-esteem. If you do not respect and love yourself then on one on this planet going to admire you. Self-esteem is feeling better inside you-it’s a feel good factor for what you are capable of and for what you already have. Once you have strong self-esteem and self-respect for yourself, you will find how your performance graph goes up. One of the easiest ways to build self-esteem is to help others with selfless intention. Step 5 Always avoid negative influence and people. Why criminals have more intimacy and contacts with other criminals. Because, similar kind of people attract like incidents or people-they never attract unlike people. Even a TV program, music or movie has the potential to instill negative thoughts in your mind. So, be picky in choosing your companions and in developing your habits. Step 6 Start your day with positive vibes. You might think of starting your day reading a few positive quotes or listening inspirational music. Positive beginning of a day let you feel positive the rest of the time of a day. Finally, in the process of changing your attitude you must always keep yourself reminding that you already have a positive attitude and start thinking about it NOW!

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Just as motivation is a critical ingredient in personal development, at some point, frustration and absence of motivation may prevent you from reaching your target. And it’s up to you, and you alone to set up techniques that will help you keep that eagerness within fired up. It is great to have visual goals. whatever it is you are working on, make it visual. It may be something tangible like a sports car, or a holiday you have been looking forward to for ages. Make a contract with yourself. According to motivational experts, folks who write down goals are far more productive in attaining their intended goals than those who just keep it in their minds. Writing something down often makes it more real. Read inspiring and motivational books and materials. These personal development strategies will help you improve your outlook. A book of personal development stories can also be motivational. You will not only learn from others’ encounters and obtain self esteem boosting ideas from them but the story will inspire you to go for your own goal and progress with your own strategies. More often than not, not knowing how or where to start off is daunting. Knowledge is power. Having a clear awareness into how and where to start out is empowering and it will supply the extra motivation needed to follow it through. Regardless of what you have been meaning to do, or wanting to achieve, JUST DO IT! Continue aiming high and go for it! In reality, just getting your hands dirty often solves the issue of motivation. By ‘forcing’ yourself to just do it, your personal development attitude will improve slowly and before very long you have accomplished the task. Lack of motivation happens to us all, but if you don’t challenge yourself, no one else will. It’s very important to keep your eye on the goal, find ways to keep going. If at the beginning you were just doing these personal development exercises for the material payoff, you will also now see that the fulfillment, happiness and sense of achievement you get from reaching your goal is a very rewarding thing. The resulting excitement will keep the drive within perpetually aglow!

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It’s easy to feel discouraged when you’re surrounded constantly by bad news. Every news channel reports dim employment prospects, high unemployment numbers, and turmoil in major companies (a.k.a. employers). You may even be in the midst of a negative environment in your own office with uncertainty and uneasiness exuded by fellow workers. But I have great news for you. You don’t have to succumb to the negativity. You CAN keep your career on track in spite of all that’s going on around you. Here are five ways to keep the momentum going. Keep regular appointments with your Career Advisory Board. If you read my last post about Creating a Career Advisory Board, you would know how important it is to have one. Make sure you’re connecting with them at least twice a year to keep them current on what’s going on in your career. You don’t have to meet with them all at once. In fact, I think it’s better to meet with them individually. Set up a schedule so that you are communicating with different members each quarter. Your advisory board should include recruiters in your specialty, a career coach, mentors, sponsors and advisors such as former bosses or supervisors who want to see you succeed. Keeping regular appointments with them keeps them in the loop about your career plans and also allows them to pinpoint opportunities to share with you. And don’t be afraid to ask them for help and critiques. Disconnect yourself from negativity. Turn off the news! Listening to all of the gloom and doom can wear down your spirits. You shouldn’t be letting the jobs reports, unemployment stories or negative economy reports bring you down. I choose not to participate in this economy or let it get me down. You have to get yourself in the mindset that you can create your own opportunities, then go out and do it. Disassociate yourself from negative people. This includes co-workers, family members, friends, etc. Usually well-meaning people  could project their negativity upon you and that’s the last thing you need at an already tense time. Politely remove yourself from these people and focus on only letting positive people in your personal space. And make sure you let these negative people know why you’re moving them out of your space. Maybe that will jolt them into changing, but don’t hold your breath. Get out and meet & greet. Get to know new people and make new connections. I keep telling people to “get your face in the place” if you want to be known. Sometimes it’s hard to get in a networking mood, especially when you don’t know how to do it. But the more you get out and practice, the more at ease you’ll be. Get out to local events. I told a client to do something as simple as going to one of the local Starbucks and book stores in a heavily populated area downtown just to soak up the culture. I’ve found that I’ve done some great networking (and writing) in Barnes & Noble or local Starbucks. Don’t be afraid to strike up conversations. You can’t limit yourself to just gender specific, or ethnic specific or even trade specific events. Nor can you limit yourself to just local recurring events. Get out and experiment. Meet new people, find new venues and infiltrate new types of networks. Trust me, you’ll build a healthier network and opportunities will find you. Build your well before you’re thirsty. Look for ways to showcase your talent, accomplishments and passion. No, I’m not talking about sprucing up your resume. Everyone has at least one talent that’s their trump card. You are not limited to showing your talent solely through your job or resume. Get out and volunteer. Volunteering has always been very important, but many people overlook it because they have a “what’s in it for me” attitude. As my pastor said you should be lending not just your treasures (tithes) but also your time and talent. And this isn’t restricted to just the church. I’m sure there are plenty of nonprofit organizations, schools (including colleges) and community awareness projects where can use your project management, accounting, marketing, design, organization, etc skills. Lend your talent and time to help others, but be pure and authentic about it. Don’t volunteer just to get recognition. Alternatively, tap into social media (not Facebook/Twitter/Linked In) to deliver your message and fine tune your brand. Create a podcast, be a guest writer for online (or print) magazines, create a series of how to videos or create a live stream. Then let people know about them. This way you control your message and brand, and you get the exposure you need. Finally, just tell people. Yes, you can do that. Let people know what you do so they can become your “brand evangelist“. Learn, grow and diversify. The number one mistake people make is remaining, by choice, in a chosen field or position without ever looking to grow. In this economy, the successful person needs to be able to adapt to change…quickly. If you’ve always been an auto mechanic or administrative assistant (for example) and never made any effort to learn new skills or advance your knowledge, you put yourself in jeopardy when the markets turn. If you have access to the Internet, you’re already half way there. Read as much as you can. Books, magazines, blogs, journals, newspapers are all available. Videos and podcasts are all over the web. Low cost and free courses are available online and in most cities. Continuing education doesn’t have to be only about paying for certifications or college tuition. The more you know, the more skills you possess, the less time you will spend unemployed. But please understand multiple degrees or certifications don’t hold as much weight these days. It’s the skills you possess that matter. You don’t have to actively participate in this bad economy or job market if you continue to nurture your career during good and bad times. Keep on advancing and looking for ways to grow and learn more. He or she who is diversified remains employed and employable.

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We all know how fantastic working out is for your health. But what happens when your workouts aren’t delivering the results you want? Or you’re not getting the results you think you should be getting? While any kind of physical activity is good, some workout plans are better than others and—as you might suspect—a lot of other factors come into play when trying to lose weight and tone up. So if your workout isn’t working for you, one of the following eight reasons could be to blame. Find out how to turn that around and get the results you deserve! 1. You’re not working hard enough. If you have been exercising consistently for several weeks, months or years, it’s definitely time to increase the intensity and start pushing yourself. As you work out more and more, your body adapts and becomes more efficient at doing that certain activity. This means that over time, the 30-minute workout that was challenging for you three months ago doesn’t provide the same results. In fact, you’re actually burning fewer calories and your body is no longer changing if you’re still doing the same old thing. Get-Results Remedy: In order to get results from exercise, you have to regularly push yourself beyond your fitness comfort zone. Whether you increase the frequency, intensity, or duration of your workouts, you have to switch it up. Not sure where to start? Try adding an extra day of cardio onto your routine, testing out a new group exercise class at the gym, adding another loop around your walking track, or bumping up the incline and speed on the treadmill. Remember, when it comes to exercise, change is good—and that change should be challenging! 2. You’re working too hard. Yes, you can actually work out too hard and too much. If you’re someone who goes all out in every workout, or rarely to never takes a day off to rest, you could actually be breaking your muscles down instead of building them. If you always feel tired and sore, have unexplained headaches, insomnia or just a general lack of motivation and an inability to complete your workouts, you may be overtraining. Get-Results Remedy: Take three to five days off of exercise altogether. It may be hard for you to do this, but know that you must allow your body the time it needs to rest and recover. Get plenty of sleep each night and fill up on nutritious foods. Then slowly ease back into your routine, making shorter, less intense workouts part of your workout plan. And remember to always take one to two rest or easy active recovery days a week! 3. You haven’t changed your diet. Exercise is awesome, but if you’re not eating a nutritious diet with the appropriate number of calories for weight management, you could be shooting yourself in the foot. Proper nutrition fuels your workouts, but eat too much and you could gain weight(or hurt your weight-loss efforts), and eat too little, and you won’t have enough energy to exercise. Get-Results Remedy: If you can’t seem to see those muscles you’re trying to build, start logging your foods to see how many calories you’re eating a day. If you’re regularly eating more than you should (it just takes an extra 100 calories a day to gain an extra pound a month), then try choosing lower-calorie versions of your favorite foods and slowly decreasing your caloric intake until you’re at the right level! On the flip side of that, if you find that you’re eating too few calories, that can also slow your metabolism and leave you drained at the gym. Find out how many calories you need to manage your weight by visiting your SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker. 4. You’re only doing cardio. Yes, cardio is important for calorie burning, but a proper exercise plan includes cardio, strength training and flexibility. If you’re just doing cardio, then you will be burning calories and strengthening your cardiovascular system, but you won’t be really changing your body composition by building more muscle. For that you need strength training! Get-Results Remedy: Lift weights or do body-weight exercises, such as lunges and push-ups, at least twice a week to reap the amazing benefits of resistance training; including decreased body fat, increased muscle mass and stronger bone density. For hardcore cardio fans, you can also try kettlebell training or circuit training, which is like getting a strength and cardio workout at the same time! 5. You reward yourself with food. Do you allow yourself to have that extra piece of pizza or order that dessert when dining out because you “went to the gym” earlier? If so, you may be undoing all of that good calorie-burning with too many treats. Get-Results Remedy: Familiarize yourself with the calorie contents of your favorite foods—and find out how many calories you’re really burning through exercise. (SparkPeople’s Nutrition Tracker and Fitness Tracker will help you learn!) Remember that while you may have run 3 miles at the gym, that only burned 300 calories, which isn’t nearly equivalent to the calorie count in that brownie sundae you ate later. Focus on how good exercise makes you feel rather than what it allows you to eat after; and choose foods that fuel your workouts, rather than the other way around. 6. You’re doing too much too soon. Unfortunately, results don’t happen overnight. It takes time and consistency to get in shape over the long haul. But how many of us decide that we’re going to get in shape and then get totally gung-ho, spending hours at the gym only to find ourselves tired, sore and no thinner after a week or two? Get-Results Remedy: Be patient. Remember that you’re creating a lifestyle change that you can sustain for the rest of your life. While there’s temptation to start off doing extra long and hard workouts, don’t. Build up to doing those tough workouts gradually as the weeks go by. Not only will this prevent injury and give your body more time to adapt and change, it will also give your life and habits time to change—permanently! 7. You’re trading sleep for workouts. We’re all so busy these days, and sometimes the only time to work out seems to be early in the morning—even if you were up late the night before working or with a child that couldn’t sleep. But regularly swapping sleep for workouts can seriously hinder your weight-loss, as sleep triggers a number of hormones that influence cravings and a tendency for weight gain. In addition, too many sleepless nights will leave you tired and unfocused for your workouts, which means that you won’t get much from your efforts. And did you know that sleep is a much needed part of a fitness plan, since a lot of recovery and repair happens while you rest each night? Skimp on the shut-eye, and it could also lead to symptoms of overtraining. Get-Results Remedy: Start scheduling both your sleep and your workouts—and treat both as unbreakable appointments. Then follow SparkPeople’s 4-week Better Sleep Challenge to make the most of those Z’s! Exercising after an occasional sleepless night shouldn’t pose too many problems. But if you’re regularly swapping sleep for a sweat session, you could be doing more long-term harm than good. Sleep should come first—even before working out. 8. You sit all day. Sure, you work out regularly, but what you do the rest of the day matters, too! If you put in a solid exercise session only to sit at a desk all day and lounge in a recliner watching TV at night, you may be undoing all of your hard work at the gym. Plus, there are a number of new studies that say too much sitting can be bad for our health and our waistlines—even if you exercise during the day. Get-Results Remedy: Try to work more activity into all areas of your life by going for a walk after dinner, choosing to stand whenever possible, taking the stairs, parking your car further away and replacing your TV time for more active relaxation (like playing with your dog). Also, if your job requires you to sit in front of a computer all day, set a timer to beep every half hour or hour to remind you to stand up, stretch and do a quick lap around the office. If you’re not seeing the results you want, you may be guilty of more than one of the mistakes above. Follow these tips to feel better, have more energy and get the workout results you want and deserve! Read more at www.sparkpeople.com

Taking action to see immediate results! You absolutely want to be financial free, create happiness and have a dream lifestyle is simply taking action to achieve success and accomplishing your goals. It can be anything from being physically healthy, in a positive relationship, career passion and getting sufficient amount of income that you can live a comfortable life before you die. Also, there are the wants and needs just by taking action through prosperity and wealth. For those that are taking action are the types of people to have their dreams become a reality in having a thriving business, traveling around the world and networking with other liked-minded individuals at live events such as No Excuses Summit or Live The Dream. Also, they have their passion in helping others overcome their struggles financially. It is obviously to start a fulfilling lifestyle with prosperity and wealth is just simply taking massive action. It is often overlook and the fact is that most people are just being negative, whining and procrastinating is just one of those roadblocks to achieve success. The majority of the problem is that people tend to be overwhelmed with information that going inside of a person’s head. You just need to focus in one thing at a time and stay consistent then you will absolutely achieve success. Therefore, it is necessary to start taking action in your prospective what it takes prosper to get the things you want in your life. Why in the hell that most people are consistently procrastinating that is difficult for them to start taking action? In my honest opinion that has to do with the 4 words that is going through your mind is F.E.A.R! It’s because you are afraid of failure. It takes a lot of courage to succeed despite of acting on fear then the fear will eventually disappear. If you don’t take massive action then you absolutely won’t see results. So just do it! So your mindset will actually determine your own behavior if you are going to either start procrastinating or taking action immediately! You just need to believe in yourself that you can do it just by taking action. It is just one of those human behaviors that you are doing to see results or not to have your dreams to become a reality. If you start taking massive action, then you will definitely change yourself and your lifestyle as well. If you are start taking action, you will absolutely be rewarded just simply taking action. There are many successful entrepreneurs like Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Robert Kiyosaki, Richard Branson, etc who went from struggling financially to start creating abundance by start taking action. If they didn’t you wouldn’t heard their success stories on getting things done in the type of lifestyle that they created today. So if you absolutely want to create abundance and prosperity you definitely need a fresh start to achieve success. Most people are taking just one small step at a time.  They start accomplishing bigger things to start thriving that can become a reality to be financial free and creating wealth for yourself and your family. You guys need to start taking action now if you absolutely want to see your results that can be a life changing experience for you! It really isn’t about taking the small steps that are important when first starting out in the beginning to create abundance. It’s all about your prospective on overcoming your fears, negativity and procrastinating is simply coming from these 12 little words” taking action” that speakers louder than a thousand words to see your result to achieve success.

Read more at dannysyoon.com

Discipline is freedom. You may disagree with this statement, and if you do you are certainly not alone. For many people discipline is a dirty word that is equated with the absence of freedom. In fact the opposite is true. As Stephen R. Covey once wrote, “the undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions”. And in the longer term, the undisciplined lack the freedom that comes with possessing particular skills and abilities – e.g. to play a musical instrument or speak a foreign language. Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. Often it involves sacrificing the pleasure and thrill of the moment for what matters most in life. Therefore it is self-discipline that drives you to: Work on an idea or project after the initial rush of enthusiasm has faded away Go to the gym when all you want to do is lie on the couch and watch TV Wake early to work on yourself Say “no” when tempted to break your diet Only check your email a few of times per day at particular times In the past self-discipline has been a weakness of mine, and as a result today I find myself lacking the ability to do a number of things which I would like – e.g. to play the guitar. But I have improved, and I can say that it is self-discipline that got me out of bed this morning at 5am to run and then write this article. Believe me, I would love to be curled up in bed right now, but this desire is subordinated by my inner sense of purpose. If you struggle with self-discipline, the good news is that it can be developed. For example, it is only in the past two years that I have trained myself to wake early. The following are what I have found to be the five traits of self-discipline: 1. Self-Knowledge Discipline means behaving according to what you have decided is best, regardless of how you feel in the moment. Therefore the first trait of discipline is self-knowledge. You need to decide what behavior best reflects your goals and values. This process requires introspection and self-analysis, and is most effective when tied to written expression. I highly recommend taking the time to write out your goals, dreams and ambitions. Even better, write out a personal mission statement. I found that writing such a statement gave me a greater understanding of who I am, what I am about and what I value. Dr. Covey has an excellent Mission Statement Builder on his site. 2. Conscious Awareness Self-discipline depends upon conscious awareness as to both what you are doing and what you are not doing. Think about it. If you aren’t aware your behavior is undisciplined, how will you know to act otherwise? As you begin to build self-discipline, you may catch yourself being in the act of being undisciplined – e.g. biting your nails, avoiding the gym, eating a piece of cake or checking your email constantly. Developing self-discipline takes time, and the key here is you are aware of your undisciplined behavior. With time this awareness will come earlier, meaning rather than catching yourself in the act of being undisciplined you will have awareness before you act in this way. This gives you the opportunity to make a decision that is in better alignment with your goals and values. 3. Commitment to Self-Discipline It is not enough to simply write out your goals and values. You must make an internal commitment to them. Otherwise when your alarm clock goes off at 5am you will see no harm in hitting the snooze button for “just another 5 minutes….” Or, when initial rush of enthusiasm has faded away from a project you will struggle to see it through to completion. If you struggle with commitment, start by making a conscious decision to follow through on what you say you’re going to do – both when you said you would do it and how you said you would do it. Then, I highly recommend putting in place a system to track these commitments. As the saying goes, “What gets measured gets improved”. 4. Courage Did you notice the sweat dripping from the man in the picture at the start of this article? Make no mistake, self-discipline is often extremely difficult. Moods, appetites and passions can be powerful forces to go against. Therefore self-discipline is highly dependent on courage. Don’t pretend something is easy for you to do when it is in fact very difficult and/ or painful. Instead, find the courage to face this pain and difficulty. As you begin to accumulate small private victories, your self-confidence will grow and the courage that underpins self-discipline will come more naturally. 5. Internal Coaching Self-talk is often harmful, but it can also be extremely beneficial if you have control of it. When you find yourself being tested, I suggest you talk to yourself, encourage yourself and reassure yourself. After all, it is self-talk that has the ability to remind you of your goals, call up courage, reinforce your commitment and keep you conscious of the task at hand. When I find my discipline being tested, I always recall the following quote: “The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret”. Burn this quote into your memory, and recall in whenever you find yourself being tested. It may change your life. Peter writes about how to change your life at The Change Blog. He also runs a blog for audio book lovers called Audio Book Downloads.

Read more at www.pickthebrain.com

Thinking is great.  But action makes things happen.  One of the biggest differences with people that successfully grow, expand themselves, and reach their goals, is that they consistently take action. Action takes energy though, so where does that energy come from?  It comes from within.  Inspiration is a powerful force, and inspired action is one of the most powerful ways to motivate yourself.  It beats “carrots and sticks.”   Carrots and sticks are usually external forms of motivation.  Instead, if you inspire yourself, you light your fire from the inside out. Here are seven ways to light the fire and inspire yourself to take action: 1. Be decisive. Decide.  Make a decision and “go.”  If you waffle back and forth on things, or can’t make up your mind, you spend a lot of energy in analysis paralysis.  Instead, decide on something you want, and test it.  Take action and test your results.  The act of making a decision and taking action will build momentum, and fuel your fire and fan your flames.  Rather than trying to figure everything out up front, start taking action, test your path, and learn and adapt along the way. 2. Act like you mean it. Maybe you want to get in great shape, but are you acting like you mean it?  How many hours are you putting in each week?  What routines are you trying?  Maybe you want to be a rockstar at work.  Who are your mentors and models?  What bold actions are you taking that walk the talk?  If you act like you mean it, you’ll make better choices, show more confidence, and build energy that helps you spiral up. 3. Draw from inspirational words of wisdom. Quotes are your friend.  Whenever you need to summon your inner-strength, it helps if you have little one-liner reminders that keep you going.  One of my favorites is by Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” 4. Stand on the “shoulders of giants.” Find some role models and heroes to use to lift your spirits and paint a canvas of possibility.  Just having some examples under your belt can inspire you to new levels.  For example, for me, I always look to the amazing physical and philosophical accomplishments of Bruce Lee.  Chances are, no matter what problem or challenge you’re up against, somebody’s been there and done that.  If not exactly, then at least you can draw from similar experiences. 5. Play the favorite scenes in your mind. We all have favorite scenes from movies over the years.  It’s those scenes of triumph, or courage, or an incredible move that inspires us.  Have these at your mental fingertips and draw from them.  Continue to fill and expand your collection by paying attention to the scenes that move you.  You can also draw from scenes in real life.  We all have our shining moments.  Keep those close, and think of them as flash cards to whip out when you need it most.  Simply see the scene in your mind, remember the feeling, and use that to fire you up. 6. Shift to the future. Dwelling on the past is a quick way to bring yourself down.  To lift yourself up, switch to the future and envision the possibilities.  See what’s possible.  This is where hope springs from.  By having a compelling vision, you have something to shoot for.  Now instead of having to “push” yourself to something, you will literally be “pulled” by it.  Like a magnet.  The more compelling the vision, the stronger the “pull” will be.  A few simple ways to shift to the future are … “How can I solve this?” … or “What would good look like?” … or “What’s the end in mind?”  Questions are a powerful way to shift gears. 7. Connect to your values. You can connect everything you do to your values.  This is a powerful way to inspire yourself with skill.  For example, let’s say you value “continuous learning” or “growth”.  Whenever you take on a task, ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” or “How can I improve this?”  Simply by connecting to your values, you tap into your inner source of power.  Your values fuel you and get you jazzed.  For example, one of my values is, “adventure”, so at work, I turn every project into an “epic adventure” and make it about the journey.  There’s always a big villain or challenge to conquer, and an epic win to shoot for.  And plenty of “growth” along the way. These are proven practices for inspiring yourself with skill.  Now the question of course is, what are you going to do with all your inspiration?

Read more at www.lifeoptimizer.org