What things do you do to encourage yourself when you feel down? What things have you seen others do to encourage themselves? It is important to have a list of ways to encourage yourself because we don’t always have a cheerleader close by when we need one. Share the ways in which you encourage yourself in the comments below so we can all get some new ideas!
I love to fill my day with moments that make me smile. Better yet, I like to be fully aware and appreciate those moments. Too often we fail to understand the value of simple moments of joy until they are gone. This is just one of many reasons to be present during your day.
When we are not slaves to distraction, we can feel the joy in our hearts that these simple moments bring. Another way is to reflect on moments in your day that bring you joy. As I’m writing this, I am doing just that. Let me tell you, it is making me smile just thinking about, and being grateful for them.
Some of these moments for me are waking up to see comments from readers of this site like you. It is that first sip of coffee in the morning. One of my favorites is coming home from work and first setting eyes on my beautiful fiance. What are your simple moments of joy and how can you better appreciate them?
Monday is not everyone’s favorite day. I truly get that. I usually get less than 3 hours of sleep, followed by a 10 hour workday. It can be tough to get up mentally after enjoying a great weekend with family and friends.
When starting any project, including the work week, our attitude at the beginning goes a long way to deciding if we will succeed or fail. That is why it is so important that you find any means at your disposal to create a positive attitude on Monday morning. Sounds impossible? Here are a few things to try. You can begin by focusing on what you have to be grateful for. Life isn’t always what we would like, but it could always be worse. You can focus on the purpose of why you are going to work. Whether that is being able to spoil those you love, or keeping a roof over your head and the lights on. Imagine what it would be like without those things.
Starting the week with a good attitude will increase our chances for it being a successful week. Above we listed 2 ways in which you can make that happen. I would love to hear any ideas you have for making Monday, or any other day, a positive one.
Today is the only day we have. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come. It is today that holds all of the power. Do you regret something in your past? Today is the day you can make up for it. Worried about something in the future? It is the actions that you take Today that can help you be prepared.
It is living in the past or the future that causes most of our stress in life. Do yourself a favor and live in the present. Not only will you have less stress, but you will use the day to your advantage!
Today everyone is looking where to invest. Is it real estate? How about the stock market? Crypto currency? I have an investment that is not only more valuable, but will pay far greater dividends. If you would like to know what this investment is, and how you can take advantage of it, read the rest of this post.
First, let us look at the value of this investment. Diamonds, for example, are rare and expensive to mine. Therefore, they hold great value for the consumer. The value of stocks is relative. They can be worth $70 in March and be worth a little as $15 by September. This investment is not only more valuable than Diamonds, it is literally priceless. Speaking of price, the value of this investment never decreases. To the contrary. As time goes on,this investment becomes more valuable.
The investment I am speaking of is time. Before you roll your eyes, or stop reading right here, let me explain. There are many things you can get back. Lose a lot of money? Many people have lost money only to regain their fortune. Even if you lose a diamond, another can be purchased. What if you lost time? You wasted it with mindless scrolling online, or you were forced to sit in an airport because your flight was delayed. Can you get that time back? No. It is gone forever. I don’t care how wealthy or well–connected you are, you can’t get more time.
The way to take advantage of this investment? Make good use of your time. Have plans. I heard a quote that says, “For every minute of anger, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.” Meaning that time spent in anger is gone. You will never have that 60 seconds back.
This sense of urgency in regards to time was brought home to me when I knew I was having open-heart surgery. There was a 2 month time frame. I realized I could be staring down my last 60 days on earth and thought about all I wanted to accomplish. Here is the thing, you don’t have to be facing a dangerous surgery. Any of us, or our loved ones could check out at any time. The thing about time, it is always running out. The time to invest in our time is now, before it is too late!
Everyday we cross paths with so many different teachers. I’m not only talking about the ones employed in the field of education, but everyday folks who teach us so much! It could be the person behind the counter at the coffee shop. It could be a particular friend or coworker. Everyone could teach us something if only we paid attention.
In my life I have had so many great teachers. My grandparents taught me a lot of interesting lessons. My mother teaches me a lot of great things by her example. My lovely lady teaches me how to maintain a young spirit. We can learn from anyone if that is the approach we take.
Who are some of your favorite teachers and what have they taught you?
Here is a picture of the moon I took at work this morning. Yes, I start before the sun comes up. As you can see, only a small portion of it can be seen. It is slowly getting bigger, that is more can be seen, every day.
The moon goes through two distinct phases. The waxing phase. This is the phase it is in now going from a dark new moon, getting brighter until it becomes a full moon. Then there is the wanning phase. Where the moon goes from a bright full moon, getting smaller until it returns to a dark full moon.
What do these lunar phases have to do with us? Personally, I use them as reminders. When the moon is getting bigger, I focus on things I want to put in my life. This could be a new healthy habit, or a something I want to get better at. When the moon is getting smaller, I focus on things I want to eliminate from my life. These can range from unhealthy things I eat, to toxic people I give too much time to.
Just an example of using nature as a gentle reminder to improve ourselves.
All of us here know the importance of gratitude. It can keep you in the vibration of having enough and feeling… well.. grateful. It also can help you attract what you desire quickly and efficiently.
Staying in gratitude can be a bit tricky. Especially when life does not go according to plan. There have been multiple times I’ve went to Starbucks and they haven’t had coffee. Can you imagine? The biggest coffee chain in the world, and no coffee. I’ve been on my way to work and had my exhaust ripped off by a pile of ice. You wake up to discover your allergies didn’t feel like staying at home today.
What are all these situations? First world problems. What do I mean? I can afford to go to a coffee shop and get a cup of coffee. Hell, I have access to clean water to make coffee. Even the the exhaust fix was expensive, I have a car and the job I was going to. I live where there is allergy medicine. Often the world gives us these challenges to remind us how good we have it most of the time. If you think your situation is bad, look around, someone always has it worse.
Too many of us are concerned with being perfect. This could be in any field. Perfect parent, perfect car sales person or perfect best-selling author. What we would be better off focusing on is continually improving.
How about you? In what area are you striving for perfection? Are there ways in which you could simply improve and get better?
How often do we find ourselves complaining about our lives and forgetting to be thankful we have one? It is the middle of the week. Let us take a deep breath, refocus, and be grateful for the life we have. Even if our life has challenges, the fact that we are still here allows us to face them and conquer them. Let us be grateful for the life we have today.
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 