Sunday, April 28, 2013

6 Simple Steps to Feel More Confident and Less Miserable in No Time.



How many times have you felt like your lack of self confidence was holding you back in life?
How many times have you beaten yourself up because of fear, and hesitancy left you too tired to fight?
How many times have you looked at someone else and thought they had everything easy because natural confidence seemed to seep through their pores.
Believe it or not, those people don’t have anything you don’t, except practice.
Cracking the confidence code requires you to understand that confidence is something within reach, but only if you’re willing to do a little work. Once you start actively working on your confidence, you’ll find a snowball effect, with success piling on itself and making true confidence easier to achieve.
The most difficult part is deciding to do something about your confidence problem, then taking that first step toward a better, more confident life. Follow these six simple steps to develop successful habits making you more confident in all you do.

1.  Discover your true passion. What is it you love doing most? What tumbles through your thoughts while you’re drifting off to sleep and sticks to the roof of your consciousness when waking in the morning? Discover your passion and you will have the elements needed to embark on your best life and make meaningful steps to move your life forward, with more time and energy to make passion a focal point of your life.

2.  Find an exercise you enjoy, then incorporate it into your daily routine. Physical fitness is a lifelong commitment, crucial for your best health, both physically and emotionally. Fitness is an amazing catalyst to feelings of happiness and elevated self-esteem. It’s easiest to find your inner glow when your outer body is active rather than sluggish.

3.  Make sure you know what you stand for. What are your values? What motivates you and keeps you on fire? With a clear picture of what you value most in life, developing strategies to help you stick to those values becomes easier). When you ignore your values, it’s easier to feel unmotivated, lost and frustrated.

4.  Own your actions. It might surprise you that the more you accept responsibility for your actions, the more your inner confidence will bloom. But it’s true. When you take responsibility, you acknowledge you are in control of your actions, rather than being at the pitiless mercy of random circumstance. Holding yourself accountable helps you hold your head higher.

5.  Learn to say no. It’s powerful, the moment you understand you’re not obligated to agree to every request coming your way. Feeling as though you’re at the beck and call of anyone requesting a favor crushes your confidence and leaves you in perpetual fear of what will happen if you say no. Realize the world will rotate without your involvement and you can build your life around those things that truly matter to you. Confidence will follow close behind.

6.  Take a look at how you treat yourself. Imagine if someone tried to treat your child, spouse or parent the same way. As long as you treat yourself with emotional negligence, your confidence and self image will always find root on shaky ground.

These six simple steps are easy and a great place to start drawing from the confidence inside you. Confidence isn’t a magic bullet that turns achievement into a snap of the fingers or blink of an eye. Even the most confident people have plenty of mistakes or failures in their history. The difference; confident people see failure as a learning opportunity.

True confidence is a lifelong journey. Know who you are and who you want to be, and others will easily see your confidence, inside and out.

By Sean Platt of http://www.pickthebrain.com

Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Secrets to Being Fearless Loving and Free.

 

"Love is only possible if you are fearless. The man who is afraid cannot be loving." ~Osho 

Learning how to become fearless in life is one of the most empowering experiences we can summon.  Being fearless paves the path for the deepest most heart fulfilling love and freedom to enter.  In fact there is no way that love and real freedom can enter your life if you're living in any type of fear.  You have to give up fearful thinking if you want to experience love in this moment.  These two energies cannot occupy the same space in your body at the same moment.  With this simple awareness it becomes a moment to moment task in life to ask yourself, "Am I choosing to live in love or fear?"  Let this life journey become a sacred playful mission of discerning what state you're in.  By learning how to choose love, you'll create more awareness to know when you're coming from fear.  The practice and devotion to living only in the vibration of a fearless love will open your life to blossom fully, inviting in the most joyful states of ecstasy you can fathom.
When it comes down to it, our natural state of being is already fearless. We simply have become engulfed in the illusion of separation, wrapped up in somebody else's ideas of panic, lack, greed and desperation.  We simply need to remember to breathe and trust that all is well, then sit back and relax into our deepest core. At the very core of our being is a power soooooo mighty, sooooo loving, and sooooo ridiculously amazing that no sensations of lack and limitation can enter it.  It's equivalent is like the Sun in the sky. A great ball of fire that is ten times the size of our planet is radiating at the core of our being! It's continuously spreading warmth, creativity, light and life in all directions.  If there was any attempt to throw a spear of ice or metal to pierce through it, the Sun will simply welcome it, melt it down, and absorb it into itself.  This is exactly what we need to do when anyone tries to hurt us, sending any sharp cold unloving negative energy our way. This inner Sun practice defuses all negativity, radiates total positivity, and teaches others what the highest path in life looks and feels like.
"The moment you start seeing life as non-serious, a playfulness, all the burden on your heart disappears. All the fear of death, of life, of love - everything disappears. One starts living with a very light weight or almost no weight. So weightless one becomes, one can fly in the open sky." ~Osho
 Creating total fearlessness in your life stems from a constant choice to trust in yourself and in life.  This is a trust that requires no rational reason for being there, you are just choosing trust because it feels better in your body than doubt and fear.  This trusting energy is a by product of honoring this magnificent bright loving Sun that lives naturally within you.  You simply trust that life has got your back, that it's guiding you, holding you, protecting you and serving your highest good within each decision that is made along the way.  When you are choosing this trusting path first thing every morning, and randomly all through your day, your life will feel like a magical flow of one miracle into the next.  You will realize that with trust at the core of your being, you feel unstoppable in all that you are and all that you do.
Can I ask you a personal question?  When life brings you a challenging situation or person, how do you typically deal with it?  Do you avoid it, resist it or try to scoot around it?  Or do you meet it head with an open heart until you are empowered by it?  I find that the truly fearless loving life path requires we develop the skills of a being who is like a peaceful warrior.  This open hearted warrior has a willingness to choose inner peace over everything and anyone life presents.  Whatever the world offers you, the warrior accepts it as a gift for a deepening and softening into love.  The peaceful warrior chooses to handle life a way that only results in feelings of inner peace.  When we step into this warrior mindset, it means we are allowing our ego's demands to become less of a priority than our devotion to inner peace.  Once inner peace is more important than the mind, than fear, than anyone or anything in this world, then we can discover what unstoppable fearlessness is like in everyday life.
I find that the secret to abiding in a long term state of fearlessness is also the very foundation of what creates fearlessness in the first place.  When you develop a deep commitment to yourself to be fearless, it must come out of a rooted courage in your heart to move beyond this world of right and wrong.  You must constantly know your true Self is like this radiant Sun, a warm shining being who is filled with love and peace at the core. Then, all of your limiting ideas and feelings of low self esteem stop pulling at you and you eventually become free.   It's within this continual return to loving you that you can choose inner peace as a way to navigate through your life.  You feel good about you, so you only make decisions that feel good. This creates a deep self loving foundation which is poured into the very roots of your being.  In some ways, you are like a long term fearless love "project" who cannot quit until you are finished.  Once you realize you'll be around for an eternity to get the job done, you'll find the deepest commitment to yourself naturally roots itself quietly in.
There are many obstacles to being fearless, loving and free, which are all meant to turn you into a master.  If there was one thing to watch out for on this path it is the ego.  The ego loves to hide out in ideas about what it thinks you are and what you're not.  It is always coming up with powerful "real" ideas that you innocently believe are true.  Ideas that you end up defending righteously, protecting until the end of time. You need to get beyond ALL of these ideas about who you are and who you're not if you really want total fearlessness.  Do you really think who you are can be contained within an idea?  Something that can be written on a piece of paper?  Remember, at the core you are bigger than the Sun!  In fact, you are also as vast as the infinity of space that surrounds the sun.
Whenever we get attached to any idea of who we think you are we suffer.  No matter how good the idea is, we feel we have to protect and defend it, or try to grow beyond it which one day becomes an invitation for fear-based contractions to step in.  Any idea you have about you is a trap, so drop all ideas of yourself and be free!  The real cosmic truth of the soul who you really are is beyond any concept that your mind can fathom.  The pure consciousness at your core cannot be described with words.  Once you realize you are indescribable bliss, and see all your ideas about who you are are holding you back from experiencing this, you will be very very careful the next time you say, "I am this, or I am that."  Instead, you will drop into the radiant all loving Source of Sunshine that abides at the core of your being.  This eternal source of love is who you truly are.
This life is always much more amazing than we can imagine.  The manifesting powers we have inside of us are AMAZING!  We can manifest the life of our dreams at anytime.  We are super powerful manifesting machines!  What we really want to manifest is always much easier to attract into our lives than we can imagine. To viscerally get this, it's vital that we take the time to simply soften, watch the mind, relax the body and look deeply inside ourselves.  Try it out right now.  Gaze deep inside yourself and find the "I" in the center of the hurricane of the mind.  Find the pure awareness that is reading this sentence right now?  What is this awareness?  What is it made of?  What is this "I" that you've identified as "me".  Which one is the true you?  This exercise is meant to stop the mind so you drop into the pure innocent soul at the core.  The experience of who you really are is much more amazing than an idea of who you are.  You are beyond the positive and negative judgments of the mind, the rights and wrongs, and all the actions we believe are good or bad.  This is where real freedom is found...right here, right now. At the source of pure consciousness which is already here and always without an identity.  It's natural state is free from thought, and it is the cosmic eternal blank canvas where all creativity is constantly being painted upon.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
When it comes down to the everyday practical world of always choosing love over fear, choosing inner peace over attachment, you'll find that there is a wild uncaged animal inside you who needs your permission to come out of hiding. This wild part of you is one powerful secret to experiencing real freedom from your suffering out in the world.  Imagine your favorite animal is inside you, hiding in a cave.  It is awaiting the right moment where its ok to be truly wild and free in the society.  It is afraid that if it comes out you will be shunned by others and excluded from your circle of acceptance. In order to be totally fearless in your life, you MUST let this wild free animal come out and dance naked in the sunshine!  In whatever small way you can, let it poke it's head out of the cave each day, until eventually you can fully let it out!   Each time you let your inner animal be free, you will see that fearful overly controlled human existence fading further and further away.
Lastly, it's important to know that this life is a spiritual journey.  You are a spirit in body, and you're sent here to discover and know that everything is your friend... including fear.  It's vital you create a relationship with fear understanding that it is presented to you as a gift from the Universe.  Fear is a divine treasure meant to catapult your life into a higher expanded dimension of consciousness.  When you're living this as the biggest truth, you can embrace and welcome each fear that arises.  You become awake enough to know that...hey...it's ALL happening for your enlightenment, then you relax.  You see that fear is only "real" inside your mind and does not exist anywhere "out there". It's merely a conglomeration of fight or flight chemicals and neurons firing in your body and brain, which you have the power to transcend by creatively using that divine space between your ears. Once you know that fear is your greatest teacher and best friend, you will become truly fearless, loving and totally free.

  Written by Jafree Ozwald
www.EnlightenedBeings.com

Sunday, April 21, 2013

10 Steps to create a happy and healthy life.

 

 

How to Live Life to the MAX!

Doesn't everyone want to live a Happy & Healthy Life?
To do so, you must take control of your physical, emotional & spiritual well-being. Some problems and ailments cannot be avoided, but much of your physical health has to do with how well you take care of your body. To achieve the healthy body you desire, you should eat nutritious meals, drink plenty of water, and get an adequate amount of sleep and exercise.
Emotional and spiritual happiness are just as important as physical well-being. Achieving spiritual and emotional happiness is based on your relationship with others, your relationship with yourself, and your relationship with God. Building strong human relationships will make you feel comfort, love, and support, and a positive relationship with God can help you achieve these same rewarding goals. Some spiritual and emotional aspects of happiness including getting and receiving affection, showing gratitude, and developing a solid relationship with God.

Physical Health

1. Breathe

One simple way to support a healthy body is to relax and take deep breaths of air. This will help to expel many harmful toxins from your body. Also, be sure to take at least a few minutes to yourself each day. Reflect on your goals and actions as you practice your own personal deep-breathing routine. A few deep breaths can make you feel more focused and jovial, as opposed to tired and stressed-out.

2. Healthy Eating

Eating healthy is one of the most important things you can do to energize and nourish your body. You should eat a diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Vitamins, minerals, and nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, iron, calcium, and vitamins C, K, and E are all essential to a healthy body. You should eat foods rich in these nutrients. You should avoid greasy food and foods loaded with processed sugars.
You should eat foods with a high content of the aforementioned vitamins and minerals. Carbs are important because they provide energy and support brain function. Iron helps red blood cells transport oxygen through your body. Calcium and Vitamin K support strong teeth and bones, and Vitamin K also helps with blood clotting. One of the many attractive qualities of vitamin C is that it aids in developing a strong immune system. Vitamin E is an essential antioxidant.

3. Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking water will help to hydrate your body and detoxify it. You should drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water each day. Water aids in helping your body perform many tasks, including the following:
  • transports oxygen and nutrients to body cells
  • moistens air in the lungs
  • aids metabolism
  • protects bodily organs
  • aids in absorption of nutrients
  • protects joints
  • regulates the body's temperature
  • aids in respiration

4. Get Plenty of Sleep

Sleep deprivation can have a number of negative effects on the body. It can limit your body's production of hormones and enzymes. This results in premature aging and low energy. Everyone should attempt to get 8 hours of sleep each night.

5. Be Active

You can strengthen both your spirit and your body by engaging in moderate physical activity each day. The physical benefits of exercise include:
  • purging toxins from the body
  • supporting healthy circulation
  • boosting immune system functioning
Regular exercise does more than support your physical health, it can also help boost your spirits. A daily run or any other physical activity will release endorphins. These endorphins help to reduce how you perceive pain, and they can even make you have a more energetic and optimistic outlook.

Emotional Well-Being

6. Forgive

You will never be able to move forward and achieve happiness if you don't forgive past wrongdoings. You must forgive others as well as yourself, and this will help you let go of guilt and negative energy.

7. Show Gratitude

Take a few minutes out of each day to reflect on what you've achieved and all of the things you have to be grateful for in life. Consider your family, friends, and even your material possessions. Making a list of these things for which you are most grateful may also help to lift your spirits when you are feeling sad or disappointed.

8. Find and Appreciate Love

Be sure to show your loved ones how you feel about them. Not only will it make them happy and draw them closer to you, but it will also make you feel good to know that you've supported, loved, and helped other people. Strive to maintain meaningful relationships because you will reap the rewards of having someone to share your triumphs with, and you will also have people to support you when you are upset or torn down.

9. Strive to Accept

There are many things about your life that you can change and improve. However, you must accept the fact that you cannot control everything. Acceptance of things, even negative circumstances, can help you let go of anxiety and worry. Releasing negative energy can help you focus on the positives in life. Be sure to celebrate all of your success, even small and short-lived triumphs.


Spiritual Health

10. Develop a Strong Bond with God

Prayer can be extremely uplifting. Be sure to take at least a few minutes of every day to pray, meditate, or engage in inspirational reading. This will help you put things into perspective and focus on future goals.
Happiness is something that everyone desires, and many people are capable of achieving it. To achieve happiness, you must satisfy the aforementioned physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Be prepared to devote time and energy to making important life changes. Start with one item on this list, and then work your way through all ten items, meeting each goal one at a time.

 http://www.lifestyleplus.net

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Charlie Chaplin shares his Wisdom at 79...




Charlie Chaplin shares his Wisdom at 79...

As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.
Today.. I know this is AUTHENTICITY.

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today.. I call it RESPECT.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.
Today.. I call it MATURITY.

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment, so I could be calm.
Today.. I call it SELF-CONFIDENCE.

As I began to love myself I quit steeling my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm.
Today.. I call it SIMPLICITY.

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything the drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.
Today.. I know it is LOVE OF ONESELF.

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time. Today.. I discovered that is MODESTY.

As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening. Today.. I live each day.. day by day and... I call it FULFILLMENT.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But As I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today.. I call this connection WISDOM OF THE HEART.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born. Today.. I know THAT IS LIFE!

~ Charlie Chaplin ~ On his 79th Birthday in 1959

Shared by https://www.facebook.com/HealingJourneysEnergy

Saturday, April 13, 2013

True Freedom Doesn't Mind The Drama.

 

True Freedom Doesn't Mind The Drama

There is nothing more important in life than to discover a deep personal relationship with freedom and love.  Real true freedom is something that cannot be taken away from you, for it already is the very essence of your essence. It is the nature of who you are, and abides beyond the efforts of the mechanical achieving mind, at the core heart essence of your being.  You don't have to give up anything to reach it, or try to create it with your mind.  You simply have to realize there already is an eternal source of vast creative powerful intelligent energy inside us all, available for you to do whatever you want with it in each new moment.

The feeling of true freedom has an unlimited expansive quality to it.  It feels like life has no walls, no ceilings, no windows, no floors and no doors.  There is a deeper knowing that anything is possible, and you have the power in you to change anything you want to about your life.  This understanding is extremely powerful. When you taste it for even a single moment, you know without a doubt that there is nothing that you cannot experience that you want to in this life.  You feel unstoppable in reaching all that you desire.  You know that any experience you want to manifest can be yours, and you know that we all have the power inside us to attract everything and anything we can imagine.  

To find this freedom simply relax your body, let go of your mind, and follow your breath. Go beyond the mechanical achieving mind and drop into the heart essence of your very being. Feel into the energy and air surrounding you.  Surrender completely to what is here now, in this very experience of your life.  Open yourself up as wide and vast as you can imagine.  Feel into the feeling that you have access to every experience you've ever had in your entire life.  It is all available to you now.  If the mind needs something more specific to meditate upon, tell it to focus on unbounded spaciousness. Sending the mind in this direction you'll find your thoughts soon quiet and soften.  It is in this unbounded spacious experience that we all discover our greatest power and source of unlimited potentiality.

The reason that most people don't feel free in every aspect of their lives is because are believing in a lie. They understand that to attain freedom, they must become free from something.  This type of freedom is illusory and always temporary.  The true freedom that I'm referring to is not found by trying to avoid or escape from anything in life.  It is better understood as a freedom for something, rather than a freedom from something.  This real true freedom embraces every problem, issue and situation as divine.  It is seeing life is the perfect teacher and how everything is happening exactly as it needs to.  This real freedom cannot be given to you by anything or anyone, which is why it cannot be taken away by the outer world. 

True freedom is really quite radical.  The mind can have a challenging time trying to understand where it is, what creates it and how to grasp it. The mind cannot imagine that in the midst of all the challenging situations you're facing in your life today, that you can simply rest in the most expansive freeing feeling possible.  The mind thinks you have to achieve some goal before you can become free.  When you drop this idea of having to achieve anything on your inner world or outer world, you see that true freedom is always right here, right now, always available to you and that you never had to do anything in this world to experience it. Once you discover you have permanent access to true freedom, you'll wonder why you were ever wasting your time trying to settle for the temporary state of freedom that would one day be taken away from you.  

It's good to know that all the dramas we get to face in life are always opportunities for deeper spiritual growth.  Anytime you hear yourself (or someone else) making an emotional complaint, remember that this is an argument to remain limited in power, love and unbounded freedom.  The mind tends to dwell on what is not working instead of what is working.  It often forgets that anything is possible.  It forgets we are divine all powerful beings capable of manifesting anything we put our attention upon. The mind tends to dwell on what's not right, what's not right, what needs to change, and thus this is what it manifests more of.  Whatever we put our attention on grows, and when the mind dwells on the heart of true freedom, the most amazing magical encounters begin presenting themselves to you.

On this path to freedom I find that it is important to know yourself, and how the mind works.  The mind easily becomes accustomed to living a life filled with limitations and self-restrictions.  In some way we humans like having tight walls and a low ceiling around us because it makes us feel safe and secure.  Yet this is a false security we set up so that we don't have to stretch too much beyond our comfort zone.  We can play the same small cozy games we have known for years.  We don't have to step into the unknown, we don't have to be powerful, love unconditionally, or really forgive others in the past who have wronged us.  The mind can become unconsciously comfortable, repeating our sad story of powerlessness, playing the victim in certain areas of our lives just so we don't have to do anything differently.  It gets addicted to the ever pending challenge of trying to break free, without ever really knowing what real freedom is.  

Have you stopped to wonder how free you actually are in your life?  How free are you financially, in your relationships, with your energy, health, consciousness, and in your love life?  I invite you to take a very long deep look inside yourself this week and continuously ask yourself, "How free am I really?"  Explore all the walls of your inner prison and notice what they are made of.  What are the limiting beliefs, fears, attachments and restrictions that you place on you?  Who would you be without ANY of these limiting thoughts and feelings?  What would you do differently with your life?  What conversations would you have with others and how would you interact differently with your closest friends and family?

You will know you've found true freedom when you are no longer pulled down by the dramas of life, yet are continuously empowered by them.  With freedom you will find each moment contains the deepest level of peace you can imagine.  You will see that nothing of this world can shake you, yet only awakens you to a deeper understanding of your unlimited creative power.  True freedom doesn't mind the drama of life, yet welcomes it.  It embraces your mind's limitations, using them to grow beyond those old paradigms, forcing you into being all loving, all powerful, knowing the God Source is the core of everything and everyone, including your very essence.  When you live this truth everyday, a natural expansive energy will take over your life, moving you effortlessly forward into the direction of feeling unstoppable in all that you do. 

 Written by Jafree Ozwald
www.EnlightenedBeings.com

Saturday, April 6, 2013

How to Practice Mindfulness in your everyday life.




 "Mindfulness lets us absorb the richness of the moment instead of going through life with half of our attention on the past or future or our own mental chatter. The self-knowledge that comes from mindfulness lets us be more intentional in choosing priorities and actions that fit our life mission." ~ Unknown

Mindfulness; being present in each moment, aware of yourself, your feelings and your surroundings, rather than consumed by the past or anxious about the future, brings with it the ability to remain calm and grateful in challenging situations.  Focusing on the here and now, the abundance of each and every moment will open up your eyes, mind and spirit to the inspired beauty of each breath.

Our day to day lives tend to be extremely busy, filled with rushing from one thing to the next; work, play, school, checking our phone/email/texts, cooking, cleaning, shopping, eating… I’m exhausted just thinking about it. The practice of staying mindful  can help to alleviate that sense of panic, anxiety or ‘not enough hours in the day’, which many people feel all too often. 

Some of the many benefits of practicing mindfulness include; improved concentration, clarity, focus, confidence & sleep; reduced stress, anxiety, discontent, fear, and anger.

So, how do we practice mindfulness, you ask? Although true and absolute mindfulness tends to be reserved for devout Buddhist monks - practicing from birth to be present and let go of external distractions - there are many ways that you can easily incorporate mindfulness into your everyday… You don’t need to run off and become a monk, although that’s always an option :)

Here are a few tips on how to be present in your own life; how to show up fully aware and engaged in each moment:

1. Remember, being mindful is available to you at all times; consider this: your mind is always with you, you just need to choose to become aware – to be intentional. 

2. When you wake up in the morning take a few moments before rising to lay still and breathe deeply; contemplate your surroundings, take in any sounds or smells that might be present, just be still for several deep breaths.

3. Create a mental list of things in your life for which you are grateful – even better, write them down.

4. Become aware of your breath.  Throughout the day notice if you are holding your breath, breathing shallowly or deeply...Focusing on your breath and breathing deeply and smoothly is one of the single most effective ways to be present – if you are paying attention to your inhale and your exhale you are in the present moment, aware, mindful. 

5. If you find yourself feeling anxious or impatient, focus on your breathing. Stuck in traffic? Waiting in line? Rather than getting upset, look at this as a perfect opportunity to become mindful, focus on your deep inhale and exhale. You will immediately feel calmer and less stressed.

6. Commit to taking 15 minutes each day to sit and be still. Set a timer, sit comfortably and simply observe your thoughts as they pass through your mind. Become aware of your thoughts and without any judgement, allow them to float, like a cloud out of your mind, coming back to your inhale and exhale. 

These tips might be very challenging during the first several days (particularly the final one) – yet stay with it and notice as the days pass if you don’t find a deeper sense of clarity, calm and overall well-being. The connection that you are capable of making between your body, mind and spirit may truly surprise you and the benefits may truly amaze you.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

How To Become a Postive Thinker.


During a busy day, it can become all too easy to focus on the negative. You might feel tired, overworked, and stressed out by all of the conflicting demands on your time. As a result, negative thoughts can creep into your mind. While you know that thinking positively is better for your state of mind, you might be surprised to learn that it can also be good for your health. Research has demonstrated that positive thinking can have a wide variety of benefits, from improving your self-confidence and psychological well-being to actually boosting your physical health.
So what can you do to eliminate negative thoughts and replace them with a more positive outlook? Even if you are not a natural-born optimist, there are things you can do to develop your positive thinking skills and reap some of the benefits of positive thinking.

Focus On Your Thoughts

In order to be a positive thinker, you need to learn how to really analyze your thoughts. The stream-of-conscious flow of thought can be difficult to focus on, especially if introspection is not your strong suit. When you encounter a challenging situation, try to notice how you think about what is happening. Do you engage in negative self-talk? Do you mentally criticize yourself or others? This negative thinking presents a major obstacle, but identifying such thoughts is the first step in overcoming them.
Some of the most common types of negative thinking involve focusing on only the undesirable aspects of a situation. For example, let's imagine that you have just spent a busy day at work. You gave a presentation and completed several tasks ahead of schedule, but you forgot to return an important phone call. Despite the successes of the day, that evening you find yourself ruminating on that one slip-up and worry how it will affect your success at work. Instead of reflecting on the positive and acknowledging the negative, you are ignoring the good and magnifying the bad.
Self-blame is another common type of negative thinking. When your department does not reach its sales quota for the month, you blame yourself rather than acknowledging that the slow economy has led to fewer sales overall. This type of negative thinking can be particularly damaging to your psychological well-being. By taking the blame for things that are not your fault or are not in your control, your self-esteem and self-confidence take a serious hit.

How to Become a Positive Thinker

Changing the negative thought cycle can be a challenge and it is a process that takes time. It is important to note that repeating the platitudes that are often recommended by self-help books ("I'm good enough! I'm smart enough! People like me!") can actually have a negative impact on your self-image. Positive thinking is not about putting on a pair of rose-colored glasses and ignoring all the negative things you will encounter in life. That approach can be just as devastating as ignoring the positive and only focusing on the negative. Balance, with a healthy dose of realism, is the key.
So what can you do when you find yourself overwhelmed with negative thoughts? Start with small steps. After all, you are essentially trying to cultivate a new habit here, and as anyone who has ever tried to change a behavior or keep a resolution can tell you, these things take time.
Start by identifying one area of your life that is most affected by negative thinking. Perhaps you tend to think negatively about your personal appearance or your performance in school. By starting with a single and relatively specific area of your life, the changes will be more likely to stick over the long-run.
So, let's imagine that you have chosen to focus on your negative thinking with regards to school. The next step is to spend a little bit of time each day evaluating your own thoughts. When you find yourself thinking critical thoughts about yourself, take a moment to pause and reflect. While you might be upset about getting a bad grade on an exam, is berating yourself really the best approach? Is there any way to put a positive spin on the situation? While you might not have done well on this exam, at least you have a better indication of how to structure your study time for the next big test.
Watch carefully for negative self-talk. When your inner monologue starts suggesting that you will never get your assignments done on time or that the work is too hard, find a way to take a more positive view of the situation. For example, if you are struggling to finish a research paper on time, look for ways that you can rearrange your schedule to make more time for the project rather than giving into hopelessness. When a homework assignment seems too difficult to complete, see if taking a different approach to the problem or seeking out assistance from a classmate might help.
Being a positive thinker is not about ignoring reality in favor of aspirational thoughts. It is more about taking a proactive approach to your life. Instead of feeling hopeless or overwhelmed, positive thinking allows you to tackle life's challenges by looking for effective ways to resolve conflict and come up with creative solutions to problems. It might not be easy, but the positive impact it will have on your mental, emotional, and physical health will be well-worth it. It takes practice; lots of practice. This is not a step-by-step process that you can complete and be done with. Instead, it involves a lifelong commitment to looking inside yourself and being willing to challenge negative thoughts and make positive changes.

By, Kendra Cherry