Some people lose their will to live when they start to see and feel the first signs of aging. They think they can no longer do the things they used to do when they were younger. Like all others previously discussed, this negative thought is all in the mind. To make our mature years happy and productive, consider the following tips:

1. Maintain a positive attitude. An elderly person who maintains a positive attitude in life is more likely to cope up with any physical difficulty or limitation related to aging. Be productive members of society. Have a purpose in life - a reason to live! Stop entertaining negative thoughts such as “I’m already old, I only have a few years to live”; “I’m old that’s why I’m sickly”, etc.

2. Stay active and eat well.  Instead of sitting around waiting to die, make the remaining years fruitful and rewarding by developing a hobby, traveling, or simply doing worthwhile activities. It has been estimated that 90% of age-related diseases are in fact, largely attributable to poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Therefore, maintaining a healthy body through exercise and nutrition is the best way to always be “alive and kicking”.

3. Be watchful and cautious. There is a saying that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound or cure”. This is especially true when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Elderly people should always be extra cautious for disorders related to aging such as depression, anxiety, senility, drug dependency, immobility, etc. When the first symptoms appear, address these before these get worse. Seek medical help so the doctor can prescribe the proper medication.

4. Nothing beats preparation. Roger Darlington states, “It is never too young to start planning our retirement. Regularly increase your mortgage repayments and pension contributions - this is a sensible use of the money you don’t need for current expenditure and it will increase your longer-term and comfortable lifestyle options.”

Indeed, the situations enumerated above are regrettable. Should these provide us the perfect excuse to wallow in unhappiness?  When confronted with such situations, keep in mind that we can still make the best of our circumstances. Robert Louis Stevenson said, “No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.”

When all else fails, let us remember that we still have a Universal Force/God whom we can ask for help. He is a great comfort in times of crisis, a source of strength and inner peace. Without peace, there can be no happiness.

Technorati Tags: Happiness, happiness in old age, Health, secret to happiness, success in old age, way to happiness, wisdom in old age

There are many ironic things in this world. A businessperson who has everything in the world may not be happy. On the contrary, a mother who does not own anything, does not have any business, and just depends on her husband’s income might be happy.

A person who is able to get a manager position might still be unhappy and he may apply again for a higher position. However, a secretary whose pay is just enough for her family’s cost might be happy and love her job.

As a human, everyone has a choice. It is a privilege that is entitled to every person. One of the choices that are very important to choose is being happy. Yes, it is a choice!

Research studies have proven that attaining awareness would lead to happiness. Being aware of the things that you like, and knowing your priorities and goals, are factors that can make you happy. A person who does not know what he wants in life may not be very happy.

Here are some tips on finding happiness:

1. Appreciate Blessings. Being aware of the importance of things within an individual’s life plays an important part in becoming happy. An example is thinking that having a car is a blessing. It is important because it can give a sense of freedom on time at work. There is no need to worry for missing the service bus and wait for hours to ride a public bus.

2. Do some repainting at home. Shades of orange and yellow brings an aura of happiness as compared to dark shades of blue.

3. Be appreciative. Appreciating everything that is in life can bring contentment. Attaining contentment is happiness.

4. Write a self-improvement list. Make sure that the things that are on the list will give satisfaction within.

5. Be positive. Remember that good habits attract good things.

6. Listing down the things that trigger bad mood is a good habit. This way, things that might come on the way that can trigger bad mood can be reversed.

7. Find someone to talk to. Release bad feelings. A trusted friend can help release your bad feelings by sharing those bad feelings with him.

8. Try to eat something when feeling bad. Sometimes, being satisfied with the food you eat helps in releasing stress and bad mood.

9. Do not worry about outcomes. Stressing yourself in doing something that is not there usually drives the feeling of being anxious and depress.

10. Be motivated. Motivating yourself to think positively will result to being happy.

11. Be with friends. Being with friends will help in reducing your stress and provides interaction with others.

12. Write essays. This good therapy could release negative moods. It can also relief stress.

13. Go outing. Taking your family to the beach every weekend and playing beach volleyball will help in getting the right mood and having a good start in life.

A person who knows how to appreciate the things that surround him finds greater meaning and purpose in life, which leads to true happiness.

Pleasurable things need not to be expensive. Sometimes, the more expensive things are, the more they loose their value to bring happiness. Material things usually have limited contribution on a person’s happiness.

Technorati Tags: find happiness, finding happiness, Happiness, how to find happiness, purpose in life, self help, to find happiness

I seem to lost count on how many times I’ve read and heard of celebrity marriages failing almost left and right. Not that I care (and personally I don’t), it seems strange that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamor. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

1. Know your purpose - Are you wandering through life with little direction - hoping that you’ll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.

This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there’s always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

2. Know your values - What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for the coming year - check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn’t align with any of your top five values - you may want to reconsider it or revise it.

The number shouldn’t discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dreamed of.

3. Know your needs - Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it’s too late!

4. Know your passions - You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who has inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

5. Live from the inside out - Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us city slickers it’s hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There’s sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

6. Honor your strengths - What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three - if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

7. Serve others - When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn’t always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

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Technorati Tags: purpose in life, purpose of life, Self Esteem, self help, your life purpose

Everyone has a dream - many dreams actually - but few believe that they can actually achieve them. Nevertheless, some people achieve their dreams while others live lives of regret. Some are inspired and follow through, while others delay or give up entirely on their dreams in exchange for whatever excuses they comfort themselves with.

What are the factors that make that difference between the person who achieves and the one who regrets?

Here are three simple steps you can take to help you live the life of your dreams:

1.      Motivation. Everyone has their own motivations for their dreams. Consider what motivates you towards your goal. It could be financial freedom, more free time, or a second home in the Caribbean. Whatever it is, remind yourself of it on a daily basis.

For example, having pictures of your dream Caribbean home hung on the fridge or in your work space will remind you of your dream and refresh your mind with motivation.

• When you suffer inevitable setbacks or frustration, a visible reminder of your dream will help motivate you to do what is necessary to get back on track toward your goal.

It is also important to give yourself rewards along the way. Rewarding yourself after making a breakthrough, such as acquiring a new client, learning a new computer program, or sharing a smile with your teenager, is absolutely necessary to effectively following through on your path to success.

Treat yourself to a nice dinner, take the day off for a game of golf, or reward yourself with something else you like. Your reward will give you a refreshing break from the trials and tribulations on your path to success and bring you new energy to continue working toward your goal.

• Giving yourself a reward here and there along the way will reinvigorate your motivation with its positive result.

2.      Planning. Although developing a systematic plan may seem obvious if you want to achieve your goals, many people overlook or downplay this process and then wonder why they aren’t moving forward toward their goal. Be sure to take the time to plan your path for greater success!

• Once you have a broad plan to reaching your goal, you must fine-tune all the details. Put it down on paper, even if it’s an emotional or psychological life goal, and determine the steps necessary to make that goal a reality.

• Put a time frame on it. Put all excuses aside with a finite deadline for each step.

• Be realistic of your own competencies.

Creating a realistic step-by-step plan with a deadline will bring your dream to life. Setting definable little goals to achieve on the way to your desired large goal will enable you to follow your plan through to success.

3.      Action. Lastly, no dream or goal can be achieved without action. If you’ve developed your plan as recommended, you will see that there are a number of little steps you must take on a daily or intermittent basis that will further you on your path to your ultimate goal.

• Your little steps give you the map to your treasure. Take action to follow your map. Each step you complete brings you closer to your goal.

• Evaluate your actions and revise your map as necessary. If a plan falls through, then be adaptable to change it until you find yourself back on the path to success.

Motivation, planning and action will enable you to create and live the life you’ve always wanted. It may take some time, but following these steps will guide you to success.

Technorati Tags: Dreams, Financial Freedom, Motivation, personal development, positive thinking, Self Esteem, self help, self hypnosis, Self Improvement, spiritual, spirituality

How often do you ask yourself that question? Caroline shares with us the times in her live that boredom took over and how she overcame it.

Secret of Happiness - Education and Self Improvement

Technorati Tags: personal development, positive thinking, Self Esteem, self help, self hypnosis, Self Improvement, spiritual, spirituality