Would that feel amazing?

“Things turn out best for the people
who make the best out of he way things turn out.”

Art Linkletter

Each day, before you start focusing on your goals, wants, wishes and desires – take a moment to think of one thing that you are truly grateful for in your life.

By focusing on what you already have, you will find it much easier to pursue the things you truly want!

See if you can come up with a different thing that you are grateful for each day and make a note of it in your journal.

Just think, if you do this for a week, you will have discovered and acknowledged 7 things you are grateful for, if you do it for a month, there will be 30 things on your list and if you keep it up all year, there will be well over 300 things in your life that you appreciate.

How amazing would that feel!

It’s yours!

“If you know you want it, have it.”
Gita Bellin

Do you ever find yourself apologizing for the things that you want out of life; as if you are in some way, being brash, greedy or overly ambitious?

Well it’s time to stop.

It is your life and you deserve to fill it with all the things that matter most to you!

So often, when people talk about their goals, it is with a conscious or subconscious desire for approval.

When this approval is not forthcoming, the natural reflex is to shrink or contract your desires.

So today, I want you to take a moment to think about what is really going on for you before you start discussing your goals.

The truth is, you don’t need anyone else’s approval to live your best life… so don’t waste energy looking for it!

Enjoy your day and the excitement of Thanksgiving Day

You are a success!

“I live for those who love me,
for those who know me true.”
George Linnaeus Banks

It’s hard to believe we are nearly at the end of another year.

Even though time might fly, don’t fall into the trap of chastising yourself for all the things you haven’t done… focus on all that you have achieved instead.

So how about making a list – your real success list.

Take a couple of minutes to write down all the things you have achieved in the year so far.

Real success isn’t just about life’s big successes, it’s about the little ones too, so think about all
the different ways you have honored your values over the year so far;

• maybe you spent more time with your family,
• focused on getting fitter,
• spent less and saved more,
• focused on thinking positive thoughts and staying present to the moment.

The more successful you feel, the more successful you will become, so focus on the real success you have achieved in your life and get ready for a brilliant 2011.

Are you refreshed and revitalized?

“Let there be more joy and laughter in your living”
Eileen Caddy

Let me begin by asking you a small but important question –

Did you have a good weekend?

Now a more specific question –

What did you get up to; did you spend your time doing things you love or was your time lost on chores, sleep and your sofa?

So why are the interest?

Well here’s the thing often we start the weekend with good intentions, but without careful planning and commitment, weekends turn into weeks, weeks blur into months and nothing ever really changes.

Looking back at this weekend just gone, is there anything you would change or do differently to ensure your life was more like the one you want to be living?

If you want true balance in your life, managing the way you spend your time off must become just as important, as the way you manage your time ‘on’ work.

So for next week why not focus on your time off.

Look at the hours that you won’t be spending at work and make a plan to use your time in the most refreshing, revitalizing and rewarding way possible.

Then ask yourself the question – Did you have a good weekend?

Achieving More

“He who has begun his task has half done it.”
Horace

Today I want you to achieve more than you have ever achieved before…

How do you do that?

By trying to achieve less!

Instead of working on a hundred things at once, never truly completing anything, I want you to choose three tasks to complete today and for you to make completing these tasks your priority – don’t focus on anything else until these three things are done.

Then tomorrow lets pick another three things only

And the following day – yes you’ve guessed it another three

By limiting the number of things you are focusing on, you will be reducing the amount of pressure a giant to-do list constantly places you under and if you keep this up each day of the week, imagine how much you will have achieved by the end of a week!

Don’t save the best until last!

“The best thing to hold onto in life, is each other.”
Audrey Hepburn

Do you sometimes find that the end of the week comes around and you have done lots of ‘work’, but none of the things you wanted to do for the people in your life.

So often the pressured nature of modern working life means that your life outside of work takes second place.

But it shouldn’t… it may be a cliché, but wishing you had done more at work is rarely a dying wish.

So this week, don’t allow the people that matter most in your life to be pushed to the bottom of your to-do list.

Make your loved ones your priority; give them your time and your energy and give it to them before your exhaust yourself taking care of all the other stuff that fills up your life.

The Quick Put-down

“Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.”
Maya Angelou

Do you know someone who is a master of the quick put-down; someone who always criticizes you, judges you or generally brings you down?

Before you fall into the trap of blaming him or her for making you feel bad, remind yourself that nobody can make you feel anything.

It’s entirely up to you how you choose to feel…

What they are doing is providing you with the opportunity to feel bad and inviting you to join them in putting you down.

So, if you find yourself on the receiving end of such negativity, consciously choose not to accept the invitation.

Don’t engage in a dialogue, simply imagine yourself writing ‘return to sender’ on their negative messages and let it go.

If you are consistent in this approach, they’ll soon stop sending their ‘junk mail’ your way.

How to Have More Energy

What are the most common causes of feeling flat and lethargic?

Lots of people are living quiet lives of desperation, not invigorating lives of inspiration- not doing what they love nor loving what they do.

They aren’t grateful so they are putting on the brakes in life and lacking the energy and vitality to live.

Are you suffering from a lack of energy?

I think that the people who are in the most risk of ‘suffering’ a lack of energy are those who do not feeling like they are living purposefully; they feel lost, overwhelmed and out of focus.

They are scattered and trying to live other people’s lives.

They are the ones also whose diets and lifestyles are also not all that ideal and are out of alignment.

So using the K I S S approach here are seven simple solutions?

1. Know where you are going- Your energy soars when you are clear on your aim and direction in life.

2. Be Thankful and Grateful – When you are grateful for all that you have rather than dwelling on all that you are lacking, you will discover a very powerful source of energy.
Count your blessings daily .

3. Eat Moderately – Many people try to perk themselves up by pigging out but this is definitely not the way to do it.
It has actually been shown that if you eat less you have an increase in vitality and overall energy.
Biological research also shows people who eat less live longer.
Walk away from the table a little less full and you will have a lot more spark to do the things you want to do.

4. Eat wholesome nutritious foods; become aware of what you eat.
Be sure to “eat to live”; not “live to eat”;

5. Drink Water – lots and lots of fresh clean water – stay fully hydrated.

6. Breathe fully and deeply. Here’s a thought have you ever tried to use your diaphragm with breathing exercises rather than the usual way of just lifting your shoulders to breath deeply – try it you’ll be amazed at the difference.

7. Smile- Smiling can change your physiology and make you look up at life a little different.

Finding Happiness

Well here’s the thing we all, that’s you, me, your neighbor, the cab driver and even you enemies all have in common, no matter the color of our skin, our age, or our gender, its this we all want to live a happy life.

To find a happy job, happy relationships, happy lifestyle and happy living.

So now what is happiness?

Happiness is an emotion that we describe for when something external is giving us a temporary relief from the unhappiness that we find inside.

Fullfilment, on the other hand, is our infinite natural state when we stop seeking for something externally to bring us happiness.

The only reason we seek to find happiness in our external world is because we aren’t fulfilled internally.

Many fear their infinite nature and believe themselves to be limited.

This fear misleads us to seek who we are in our external world.

Yet, in building our identities externally to find happiness, meaning and purpose will always be subject to the emotional ups and downs corresponding with external ups and downs, or gains and losses.

The “Truth,” however, is that if we were to stop seeking for happiness externally, we would realize that we are happiness itself.

This is what allows us to realize the purpose and meaning of what we call our “Life.”

That is what is it means to be truly fulfilled.

For as long as someone seeks to fix, improve, or change the external identity so that they may find “happiness” they will be met with both happiness and unhappiness.

They will be met with life’s grand illusionary game, a game that cannot be won, only played.

It’s only when you “let go” of trying to win this “game of life” that you shall free yourself to experience fulfilment and remember the meaning and the purpose of who you truly are.

You are a success!

“I live for those who love me, for those who know me true.”
George Linnaeus Banks

It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the year.

Even though time might fly, don’t fall into the trap of chastising yourself for all the things you haven’t done… focus on all that you have achieved instead.

Today I want you to make a list; your real success list.

Take a couple of minutes to write down all the things you have achieved in the last six months.

Real success isn’t just about life’s big successes, it’s about the little ones too, so think about all the different ways you have honored your values over the last six months; maybe you spent more time with your family, focused on getting fitter, spent less and saved more, or focused on thinking positive thoughts and staying present to the moment.

The more successful you feel, the more successful you will become, so focus on the real success you have achieved in your life and get ready for a brilliant second half of the year.

Take care and remember, real success is not about having it all…

it’s about having the things that matter!